The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Ravel \Rav"el\, v. i.
   1. To become untwisted or unwoven; to be disentangled; to be
      relieved of intricacy.
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   2. To fall into perplexity and confusion. [Obs.]
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            Till, by their own perplexities involved,
            They ravel more, still less resolved. --Milton.
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   3. To make investigation or search, as by picking out the
      threads of a woven pattern. [Obs.]
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            The humor of raveling into all these mystical or
            entangled matters.                    --Sir W.
                                                  Temple.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Ravel \Rav"el\ (r[a^]v"'l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Raveled (-'ld)
   or Ravelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Raveling or Ravelling.]
   [OD. ravelen, D. rafelen, akin to LG. rebeln, rebbeln,
   reffeln.]
   1. To separate or undo the texture of; to unravel; to take
      apart; to untwist; to unweave or unknit; -- often followed
      by out; as, to ravel a twist; to ravel out a stocking.
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            Sleep, that knits up the raveled sleave of care.
                                                  --Shak.
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   2. To undo the intricacies of; to disentangle.
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   3. To pull apart, as the threads of a texture, and let them
      fall into a tangled mass; hence, to entangle; to make
      intricate; to involve.
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            What glory's due to him that could divide
            Such raveled interests? has the knot untied?
                                                  --Waller.
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            The faith of very many men seems a duty so weak and
            indifferent, is so often untwisted by violence, or
            raveled and entangled in weak discourses! --Jer.
                                                  Taylor.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

Ravel
    n 1: French composer and exponent of Impressionism (1875-1937)
         [syn: Ravel, Maurice Ravel]
    2: a row of unravelled stitches; "she got a run in her stocking"
       [syn: run, ladder, ravel]
    v 1: disentangle; "can you unravel the mystery?" [syn: ravel,
         unravel, ravel out] [ant: knot, ravel, tangle]
    2: tangle or complicate; "a ravelled story" [syn: ravel,
       tangle, knot] [ant: ravel, ravel out, unknot,
       unpick, unravel, unscramble, untangle]