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unfurled

Verb
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Spread or opened out. In poetry, it often describes something being extended or revealed.

Detailed Definition
To unfurl is to spread something out, like a flag, sail, or banner. In this poem, the word helps make the sky feel vast and opening outward, matching the speaker’s sense of emptiness and exposure.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Above me, endless space unfurled” (Shelley); At dawn, the flag unfurled above the schoolyard; The fern unfurled its green fist after rain; A road unfurled through the desert toward heat-hazed hills; “Unfurled” suggests gradual opening, expansion, or revelation
Additional Notes
In the line "Above me, endless space unfurled;" the verb is literary and less common than everyday words like spread or opened.; Found in the poem, Alone by Sara Teasdale
Also Known As
spread opened expanded
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