Unleash

How to spell unleash

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce unleash

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unleash mean?

1. verbTo release or set loose a powerful force, feeling, or activity that was previously held back.

Unleash in a sentence

• The new advertising campaign could unleash a flood of orders.

• A single careless email can unleash a wave of complaints.

Where does unleash come from?

Language of origin: French

This word is a fairly modern English creation, built from the prefix un-, here meaning 'to release from' or 'to undo', attached to the noun leash. The leash part came into English in the 1300s from the Old French laisse, a thong or cord used to hold a hunting dog, and that in turn traces back to the Latin verb laxare, meaning 'to loosen' or 'to slacken' (the same source that gives us 'lax' and 'relax'). To leash a dog was to fasten it; to unleash it was literally to set it free to run. The figurative sense, releasing a force, an emotion, or a wave of activity, grew naturally from that vivid image of a freed hound and became common by the 1600s. Because the root really is the dog's leash, the spelling keeps the -ea- and the silent-feeling -sh ending intact.

How the word is built

• un- (reverse, release from)
• leash (a cord for holding a dog)