Unsnatch
verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 To release or let go that which has been snatched or grabbed.
- 2 To retrieve something that was snatched.
"As soon as the royal sheeve-hole comes below the cap, pass the lizard, securing it with a couple of half hitches, and lower away through lubber's hole; land it on deck with the heel aft, unsnatch the mast-rope. In the mean time, the new mast has been cleared away , laid alongside the old one, and placed on the same slue; so, that directly the mast-rope is unsnatched, it can be snatched again without any deliberation, or fear of mistake; hitch the lizard, and sway away, easing the heel forward with a slip rope."
Example
More examples"As soon as the royal sheeve-hole comes below the cap, pass the lizard, securing it with a couple of half hitches, and lower away through lubber's hole; land it on deck with the heel aft, unsnatch the mast-rope. In the mean time, the new mast has been cleared away , laid alongside the old one, and placed on the same slue; so, that directly the mast-rope is unsnatched, it can be snatched again without any deliberation, or fear of mistake; hitch the lizard, and sway away, easing the heel forward with a slip rope."
Etymology
From un- + snatch.
More for "unsnatch"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.