unfold

t. & i. [Pref. un- (1), and Eng. fold (2), v.] A. Transitive : 1. To open the folds of; to spread out; to expand. "See her bright robes the butterfly unfold." Thomson: Castle of Indolence , i. 9. 2. To lay open to view or contemplation; to discover, to reveal; to make known the details of; to disclose. "But let that pa -to none be told Our oath; the rest let time unfold ." Byron: Bride of Abydos, i. 12. *4. To explain. "What riddle's this? unfold yourself, dear Robin." Ben Jonson: Sad Shepherd, ii. 2. B. Intransitive : 1. To open gradually; to be expanded. "The gates, unfolding , pour forth all their train." Pope: Homer's Iliad , ii. 978. 2. To become disclosed or developed; to develop itself. "I see thy beauty gradually unfold." Tennyson: Eleanore, 70.