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es as the door is closed. (b) A part of the centering of an arch, which is driven back to loosen the centering in striking it.

are and standard but no moldboard. It follows in the furrow made by an ordinary plow, and loosens the soil to an additional depth without bringing it to the surface. Knight.

A strap of leather; especially, one used for fastening anything. And nails for loosened spears, and thongs for shields, provide. Dryden. Thong seal (Zoöl.), the bearded seal. See the Note under Seal.

To plow with deep furrows, for the purpose of loosening the land to a greater depth than usual.

A machine for cleansing or loosening wool by the action of a revolving cylinder covered with long iron spikes or teeth; a willy or willying machine; -- called also twilly devil, and devil. See Devil, n., 6, and Willy. Tomlinson.

To free from flexure; to make, or allow to become, straight; to loosen; as, to unbend a bow.

To release from cords; to loosen the cord or cords of; to unfasten or unbind; as, to uncord a package.

To loosen from a fastening; to detach from anything that holds; to unsettle; as, to unfix a bayonet; to unfix the mind or affections.

To loose from a hook; to undo or open by loosening or unfastening the hooks of; as, to unhook a fish; to unhook a dress.

To make loose; to loosen; to set free. Shak.

To loosen, unfix, or separate, as things mortised together. Tennyson.

To loosen the reins of; to remove restraint from. Addison.

To draw the screws from; to loose from screws; to loosen or withdraw (anything, as a screw) by turning it.

To move or loosen from a settled position or state; to unfix; to displace; to disorder; to confuse.

To loosen the string or strings of; as, to unstring a harp or a bow.

To loosen, as something interlaced or knotted; to disengage the parts of; as, to untie a knot. Sacharissa's captive fain Would untie his iron chain. Waller. Her snakes untied, sulphurous waters drink. Pope.

To make less tight or tense; to loosen.