desatar

/desaˈtaɾ/ · B2 · verb

to untie, undo, unfasten, unleash

🪢 des- (undo) + atar (to tie) = to untie; undo a knot, set something off

Spanish des- reverses an action, and atar means to tie. So desatar is literally to un-tie. Loosening a restraint lets something burst out, which is why it also means to unleash or trigger, as in desatar una crisis (set off a crisis).

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