Emily Dickinson Lexicon

LOOS'EN, v.t. [loos'n; from loose, or it is the Saxon infinitive retained.]

1. To free from tightness, tension, firmness or fixedness; as, to loosen a string when tied, or a knot; to loosen a joint; to loosen a rock in the earth.
2. To render less dense or compact; as, to loosen the earth about the roots of a tree.
3. To free from restraint. It loosens his hands and assists his understanding. – Dryden.
4. To remove costiveness from; to facilitate or increase alvine discharges. Fear loosened the belly. – Bacon.