(transitive) To get (someone) out of a difficult or embarrassing situation; to free (someone) from the embarrassment (of a situation); to relieve (someone of a burden, item of clothing, etc.) (often used reflexively).
1726, George Berkeley, letter to Thomas Prior dated 6 February, 1726, in The Works of George Berkeley, London: G. Robinson, Volume 1, p. xliv,
[…] I hope […] that you will have disembarrassed yourself of all sort of business that may detain you here, and so be ready to go with us […]
(transitive, obsolete) To free (something) from complication.
1719, uncredited editor, A Collection of Tracts Concerning Predestination and Providence, Cambridge University Press, Preface,
[…] that we might disembarrass the Style as much as possible, we have taken the liberty to transpose Parentheses and other perplexed Passages, so as to clear and reduce them to continued Sentences.
1783, Hugh Blair, Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, Dublin: Whitestone et al., Volume 1, Lecture 8, pp. 180-181,
There is no doubt that, by abolishing cases, we have rendered the structure of modern Languages more simple. We have disembarrassed it of all the intricacy which arose from the different forms of declension, of which the Romans had no fewer than five; and from all the irregularities in these several declensions.
(transitive, obsolete) To disentangle (two things); to distinguish.
1751, William Warburton, commentary on An Essay on Man in The Works of Alexander Pope, London: J. & P. Knapton et al., Volume 3, p. 63,
[…] though it be difficult to distinguish genuine Virtue from spurious, they having both the same appearance, and both the same public effects, yet they may be disembarrassed. If it be asked, by what means? He replies […] By Conscience […]
Mac + Safari
iPhone + iPad
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
Opera
Microsoft Edge