open
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ō'pən, IPA(key): /ˈəʊp(ə)n/
Audio (Received Pronunciation): (file) - (General American) enPR: ō'pən, IPA(key): /ˈoʊp(ə)n/
Audio (General American): (file) Audio (General Australian): (file) - Rhymes: -əʊpən
Etymology 1
From Middle English open, from Old English open (“open”), from Proto-West Germanic *opan, from Proto-Germanic *upanaz (“open”), from Proto-Indo-European *upo (“up from under, over”).
cognates
- Scots apen (“open”)
- Saterland Frisian eepen (“open”)
- West Frisian iepen (“open”)
- Dutch open (“open”)
- Low German open, apen (“open”)
- German offen (“open”)
- Danish åben (“open”)
- Swedish öppen (“open”)
- Norwegian Bokmål åpen (“open”)
- Norwegian Nynorsk open (“open”)
- Icelandic opinn (“open”)
Compare also Latin supinus (“on one's back, supine”), Albanian hap (“to open”). Related to up.
Adjective
 |
A user suggests that this English entry be cleaned up, giving the reason: “senses need sorting, -nyms placed under relevant senses”. |
|---|---|
| Please see the discussion on Requests for cleanup(+) or the talk page for more information and remove this template after the problem has been dealt with. |
open (comparative more open, superlative most open)
- (usually not comparable) Not closed.
- Able to be accessed (physically).
- Able to have something pass through or along it.
- Turn left after the second open door.
- 1908 October, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC:
- The open road, the dusty highway […]
- (of a body part) Not covered; showing what is inside.
- It was as if his body had gone to sleep standing up and with his eyes open.
- (of a sandwich, etc.) Composed of a single slice of bread with a topping.
- Synonyms: open-face, open-faced
- 2001, Jennie Walters, Caz’s Birthday Blues (Party Girls), London: Hodder Children’s Books, →ISBN:
- Starry food is fun to make. You can buy bright yellow American mustard (which isn’t too strong!) in squeezy bottles and pipe stars on to hot dogs and open burgers or sandwiches.
- 2015, Michael Robotham, chapter 17, in Close Your Eyes, London: Sphere, →ISBN, page 133:
- Sunday morning in Wellow and we feast on open bagels with grilled ham, tomato and Swiss cheese, requested and highly praised.
- Not physically drawn together, closed, folded or contracted; extended.
- an open hand; an open flower
- 1700, [John] Dryden, “The Flower and the Leaf: Or, The Lady in the Arbour. A Vision.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
- Each, with open arms, embraced her chosen knight.
- (not comparable) Actively conducting or prepared to conduct business.
- Banks are not open on bank holidays.
- 2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
- Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.
- (comparable) Receptive.
- I am open to new ideas.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 19:38:
- Wherefore if Demetrius […] have a matter against any man, the law is open and there are deputies.
- c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
- The service that I truly did his life, / Hath left me open to all injuries.
- 2005, Pamela J. Carter, Susan Lewsen, Lippincott's Textbook for Nursing Assistants, page 277:
- When the top sheet, blanket, and bedspread of a closed bed are turned back, or fanfolded, the closed bed becomes an open bed, or a bed ready to receive a patient or resident.
- 2021 April 2, Ciara Nugent, “Can Public Transit Survive the Pandemic? London's New Transport Commissioner Wants You to Believe It Can”, in Time:
- A U.K. survey found attitudes toward public transit had been set back by two decades, with only 43% of drivers open to using their car less, even if public transport improves.
- (not comparable) Public
- He published an open letter to the governor on a full page of The New York Times.
- c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
- His thefts were too open.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
- That I may find him, and with secret gaze / Or open admiration him behold.
- 2001, Xiaopei He, “Chinese Queer (Tongzhi) Women Organizing in the 1990s”, in Ping-Chun Hsiung, Maria Jaschok, Cecilia Milwertz, Red Chan, editors, Chinese Women Organizing: Cadres, Feminists, Muslims, Queers, Berg, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 41:
- Due to severe and pervasive discrimination, people dared not be open about their homosexuality, and because no one would be open, social prejudice and discrimination became even stronger.
- (not comparable) With open access, of open science, or both.
- hopes for all aspects of the project being open rather than paywalled
- (not comparable) Candid, ingenuous, not subtle in character.
- The man is an open book.
- 1731-1735, Alexander Pope, Moral Essays
- with aspect open, shall erect his head
- c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
- The Moor is of a free and open nature.
- 1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
- The French are always open, familiar, and talkative.
- (now regional) Mild (of the weather); free from frost or snow.
- c. 1794, Jane Austen, Lady Susan:
- He desires me to tell you that the present open weather induces him to accept Mr Vernon's invitation to prolong his stay in Sussex that they may have some hunting together.
- (mathematics, logic, of a formula) Having a free variable.
- (mathematics, topology, of a set) Which is part of a predefined collection of subsets of , that defines a topological space on .
- (graph theory, of a walk) Whose first and last vertices are different.
- (computing, not comparable, of a file, document, etc.) In current use; connected to as a resource.
- I couldn't save my changes because another user had the same file open.
- (engineering, gas and liquid flow, of valve or damper) To be in a position allowing fluid to flow.
- (electricity, of a switch or circuit breaker) To be in a position preventing electricity from flowing.
- (sometimes business) Not fulfilled or resolved; incomplete.
- I've got open orders for as many containers of red durum as you can get me.
- Not settled or adjusted; not decided or determined; not closed or withdrawn from consideration.
- an open question
- to keep an offer or opportunity open
- Your account will remain open until we receive final settlement.
- (music, stringed instruments) Of a note, played without pressing the string against the fingerboard.
- (music) Of a note, played without closing any finger-hole, key or valve.
- Not of a quality to prevent communication, as by closing waterways, blocking roads, etc.; hence, not frosty or inclement; mild; used of the weather or the climate.
- an open winter
- (law, of correspondence) Written or sent with the intention that it may made public or referred to at any trial, rather than by way of confidential private negotiation for a settlement.
- You will observe that this is an open letter and we reserve the right to mention it to the judge should the matter come to trial.
- (phonetics) Uttered with a relatively wide opening of the articulating organs; said of vowels.
- 1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 421:
- "Supposing somebody sees you, with all those flowers too? Supposing somebody writes him a letter? Ooooh!" (a pure round open Tamil O.)
- (phonetics) Uttered, as a consonant, with the oral passage simply narrowed without closure.
- (phonetics, of a syllable) That ends in a vowel; not having a coda.
- (computing, education) Made public, usable with a free licence and without proprietary components.
- (medicine) Resulting from an incision, puncture or any other process by which the skin no longer protects an internal part of the body.
- (computing, used before "code") Source code of a computer program that is not within the text of a macro being generated.
- (of a multi-word compound) Having component words separated by spaces, as opposed to being joined together or hyphenated; for example, time slot as opposed to timeslot or time-slot.
Synonyms
- (not closed): accessible, unimpeded
- (ending in a vowel): free
- (with a free license and no proprietary components): free
Antonyms
- (antonym(s) of “accessible”): closed, shut
- (antonym(s) of “law”): without prejudice
- (antonym(s) of “ending in a vowel”): closed, checked
- (antonym(s) of “with a free license and no proprietary components”): closed-source, proprietary
Hyponyms
Derived terms
- at church every time the doors are open
- at church every time the doors swing open
- blow wide open
- break open
- clopen
- crack open
- distinguished open set
- double open jaw
- drop open
- get open
- half-open file
- half-open interval
- have someone's nose wide open
- home open
- in church every time the doors are open
- in open court
- keep an eye open
- keep a weather eye open
- keep one's ears open
- keep one's eyes open
- keep one's options open
- kick at an open door
- kicking at an open door
- lay open
- leave one's options open
- leave the door open
- one's door is open
- openable
- open admission
- open adoption
- open air
- open-aired
- open-air museum
- open air museum
- open and affirming
- open and notorious
- open and shut
- open and shut case
- open assembly time
- open-back
- open ball
- open banking
- open bar
- open beta
- open bite
- open boarding
- open book
- open-book
- open-book contract
- open book decomposition
- open box
- open-breasted
- open call
- open carry
- open-carry
- open-cast
- open-chain
- open circuit
- open circuit voltage
- open circulatory system
- open city
- open class
- open classroom
- open-closed principle
- open cluster
- open communion
- open compound
- open-concept
- open content
- open convention
- open core
- open cover
- open dating
- open day
- open daylight
- open defecation
- open design
- open diapason
- open differential
- open door
- open door policy
- open-door policy
- open doors
- open e
- open-ear
- open-eared
- open-earedness
- open-ended contract
- open-endedly
- open-endedness
- open ended straight draw
- open-ender
- open-end fund
- open enrollment
- open evangelical
- open evangelicalism
- open evening
- open fan
- open feedwater heater
- open-field system
- open-field test
- open file
- open fireplace
- open floor plan
- open fracture
- open game
- Open Game
- open goal
- open ground
- open half space
- open-hand
- open-handedly
- open-handedness
- open harp
- open-heartedly
- open-heartedness
- open hearth
- open-heart surgery, open heart surgery
- open house
- open housing
- open index
- open interest
- open interval
- open invitation
- open jaw
- open-jaw ticket
- open justice
- open-kneed breeches
- open letter
- open listing
- open-loop
- open loop
- open market
- open marriage
- open matte
- open media
- open mic
- open-mid
- open mike
- open mind
- open-minded
- open-mindedly
- open-mindedness
- open morning
- open-neck
- open-necked
- open-notes
- open o
- open order
- open outcry
- open outsourcing
- Open PaaS
- open-pit mine
- open-plan kitchen
- open play
- open position
- open prison
- open problem
- open proxy
- open proxy server
- open question
- open rate
- open razor
- open reading frame
- open rectangle
- open relationship
- open-road
- open road
- open rotor
- open sandwich
- open sea
- open season
- open seating
- open secret
- open set
- open-shopper
- openside
- open-side
- open sight
- open slather
- open sores
- open-source
- open source
- open-sourceness
- open sourceror
- open space
- open sunshine
- open syllable
- open system
- open table
- open texture
- open-textured
- open time
- open-toed
- open-top bus
- open-top, open-topped
- open-topper
- open tuning
- Open University
- open valley
- open verdict
- open visit
- open-wash
- open wash
- open washing
- open-washing
- open water
- open-wheel
- open world
- open wound
- over open sights
- push against an open door
- read like an open book
- regular open
- Scott-open
- semi-open file
- semi-open game
- sleep with one eye open
- throw open
- vested remainder subject to open
- wide open
- with one's eyes open
- with open arms
- your barn door is open
Translations
not closed
|
extended, exposed
prepared to conduct business
|
receptive
|
public
|
candid
|
math: which is part of a predefined collection of subsets
computing: in current use
music: without any fingers pressing the string against the fingerboard
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Etymology 2
From Middle English openen, from Old English openian (“to open”), from Proto-West Germanic *opanōn, from Proto-Germanic *upanōną (“to raise; lift; open”), from Proto-Germanic *upanaz (“open”, adjective).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian eepenje (“to open”), West Frisian iepenje (“to open”), Dutch openen (“to open”), German öffnen (“to open”), Danish åbne (“to open”), Swedish öppna (“to open”), Norwegian Bokmål åpne (“to open”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Icelandic opna (“to open”). Related to English up.
Verb
open (third-person singular simple present opens, present participle opening, simple past and past participle opened)
- (transitive) To make something accessible or allow for passage by moving from a shut position.
- Turn the doorknob to open the door.
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
- I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 20, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
- ‘No. I only opened the door a foot and put my head in. The street lamps shine into that room. I could see him. He was all right. Sleeping like a great grampus. Poor, poor chap.’
- (transitive) To make (an open space, etc.) by clearing away an obstacle or obstacles, in order to allow for passage, access, or visibility.
- He opened a path through the undergrowth.
- 1996, Stephen King, Desperation:
- He had kept on recording everything then, when he had been sure he was going to die, and he went on recording everything now, when he was suddenly consumed with hate for the boy in his arms and overwhelmed by a desire to put something—his motorcycle key would do nicely — into the interfering little prayboy’s throat and open him like a can of beer.
- (transitive, intransitive, engineering, gas and liquid flow, of valve or damper) To move to a position allowing fluid to flow.
- (transitive, intransitive, electricity, of a switch, fuse or circuit breaker) To move to a position preventing electricity from flowing.
- (Manglish, Philippines, Quebec) To turn on; to switch on.
- Please open the lights, the (electric) fan, the TV.
- (transitive) To bring up, broach.
- I don't want to open that subject.
- (transitive) To enter upon, begin.
- to open a discussion
- to open fire upon an enemy
- to open trade, or correspondence
- to open a case in court, or a meeting
- (transitive) To spread; to expand into an open or loose position.
- to open a closed fist
- to open matted cotton by separating the fibres
- to open a map, book, or scroll
- (transitive) To make accessible to customers or clients.
- I will open the shop an hour early tomorrow.
- (transitive) To start (a campaign).
- Vermont will open elk hunting season next week.
- (intransitive) To become open.
- The door opened all by itself.
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
- I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn.
- (intransitive) To begin conducting business.
- The shop opens at 9:00.
- (intransitive) To perform before others at a concert or show.
- Our band opened for Nirvana.
- (intransitive, cricket) To begin a side's innings as one of the first two batsmen.
- (intransitive, poker) To bet before any other player has in a particular betting round in a game of poker.
- After the first two players fold, Julie opens for $5.
- (transitive, intransitive, poker) To reveal one's hand.
- Jeff opens his hand revealing a straight flush.
- (computing, transitive, intransitive) To connect to a resource (a file, document, etc.) for viewing or editing.
- (transitive, nursing) To make (a bed) ready for a patient by folding back the bedcovers.
- 2013, Susan C. deWit, Patricia A. Williams, Fundamental Concepts and Skills for Nursing, page 318:
- Follow agency policy, or open the bed by folding the top linens back.
- (obsolete) To disclose; to reveal; to interpret; to explain.
- 1622, Francis Bacon, The History of the Reign of King Henry the Seventh:
- The king opened himself to some of his council, that he was sorry for the earl's death.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 20:12:
- Unto thee have I opened my cause.
Usage notes
- Due to the near-opposite meanings relating to fluid flow and electrical components, these usages are deprecated in safety-critical instructions, with the words to on or to off preferred, so instead of Open valve A; open switch B" use Turn valve A to ON; turn switch B to OFF.
Conjugation
Synonyms
- (to make accessible): unseal
- (to bring up): raise
- (to enter upon): start; see also Thesaurus:begin
- (to disclose): bare; see also Thesaurus:reveal
Antonyms
Hyponyms
- (to make accessible): crack (open a bit)
Derived terms
- a golden key can open any door
- eye-opener (noun)
- eye-opening (adjective)
- open a can of whoop ass
- open fire
- open its doors
- open one's big mouth
- open one's bowels
- open one's heart
- open one's legs
- open one's mind
- open one's mouth
- open out
- open Pandora's box
- open sesame
- open shop
- open someone's eyes
- open the attack
- open the ball
- open the batting
- open the door
- open the face
- open the floodgates
- open the kimono
- open the range
- open the schools
- open up
- open wide
- reopen
- the heavens open
- when one door closes, another opens
Translations
to make something accessible
| ||||||||
to clear away obstacles
to bring up (a topic)
|
to make accessible to customers
|
to start (a campaign)
|
to become open
|
to begin conducting business
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
|
Etymology 3
From Middle English open (“an aperture or opening”), from the verb (see Etymology 2 above). In the sports sense, however, a shortening of “open competition”.
Noun
open (plural opens)
- (in the definite) Open or unobstructed space; an exposed location.
- I can't believe you left the lawnmower out in the open when you knew it was going to rain this afternoon!
- Wary of hunters, the fleeing deer kept well out of the open, dodging instead from thicket to thicket.
- (in the definite) Public knowledge or scrutiny; full view.
- We have got to bring this company's corrupt business practices into the open.
- (electronics) A defect in an electrical circuit preventing current from flowing.
- The electrician found the open in the circuit after a few minutes of testing.
- A sports event in which anybody can compete.
- the Australian Open
- The act of something being opened, such as an e-mail message.
- 2016, Ian Dodson, The Art of Digital Marketing, page 144:
- The total number of opens from original, or unique, subscribers.
Derived terms
Translations
open space
public knowledge; (to bring into) the open
|
broken wire
|
Anagrams
Etymology
From Dutch openen, from Middle Dutch ōpenen, from Old Dutch opanon, from Proto-Germanic *upanōną.
Pronunciation
Verb
open (present open, present participle openende, past participle geopen)
- (transitive) to open
Related terms
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch ōpen, from Old Dutch opan, from Proto-West Germanic *opan, from Proto-Germanic *upanaz.
Adjective
open (comparative opener, superlative openst)
Declension
| Declension of open | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| uninflected | open | |||
| inflected | open | |||
| comparative | opener | |||
| positive | comparative | superlative | ||
| predicative/adverbial | open | opener | het openst het openste | |
| indefinite | m./f. sing. | open | opener | openste |
| n. sing. | open | opener | openste | |
| plural | open | opener | openste | |
| definite | open | opener | openste | |
| partitive | opens | openers | — | |
Antonyms
Derived terms
Descendants
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
open
- inflection of openen:
Anagrams
Noun
open
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
open m (plural opens)
Further reading
- “open”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Etymology
From Old Dutch opan, from Proto-West Germanic *opan.
Adjective
ōpen
Inflection
This adjective needs an inflection-table template.
Derived terms
Descendants
Further reading
- “open”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “open (II)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page II
Alternative forms
- opyn, ope
Etymology
From Old English open, from Proto-West Germanic *opan.
Adjective
open (comparative more open, superlative most open)
- open
- 14th c. Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales. General Prologue: 9-11.
- And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages);- And many little birds make melody
That sleep through all the night with open eye
(So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)
- And many little birds make melody
- 14th c. Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales. General Prologue: 9-11.
Related terms
Descendants
Etymology
From Old Norse opinn, from Proto-Germanic *upanaz. Compare Faroese opin, Icelandic opinn, Swedish öppen, Danish åben, Dutch open, Low German apen, open, German offen, West Frisian iepen, English open.
Pronunciation
Adjective
open (neuter ope or opent, definite singular and plural opne, comparative opnare, indefinite superlative opnast, definite superlative opnaste)
- open
- Kvifor er døra open?
- Why is the door open?
Usage notes
A common, but unofficial, feminine form is opa (“ei opa dør”, compare lita and inga). Up until 2012, opi was an optional official form, but was removed along with other forms like liti and ingi.
Related terms
References
- “open” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *opan, from Proto-Germanic *upanaz.
Originally a past participle of Proto-Germanic *ūpaną (“to lift up, open”). Related to Old English upp (“up”). Cognate with Old Frisian open, Old Saxon opan, Old High German offan, and Old Norse opinn.
Pronunciation
Adjective
open
- open
- 11th century, unknown translator, the Old English Apollonius of Tyre
- Þā ġeseah hē ānne nacodne cnapan ġeond þā strǣte rinnan. Sē wæs mid ele ġesmiered and mid sċīetan beġierded, and cleopode mid miċelre stefne and cwæþ, "Ġehīeraþ ġē ċeasterwaran, ġehīeraþ ġē ælþēodiġe, friġe and þēowe, æðele and unæðele: sē bæþstede is open!"
- Then he saw a naked boy running through the street. His body was smeared with oil and he was wearing a sheet around his waist, when he called out in a loud voice, "Attention citizens, attention foreigners, free and slave, noble and ignoble: the bathhouse is open!"
- 11th century, unknown translator, the Old English Apollonius of Tyre
Declension
Declension of open — Strong
Declension of open — Weak
Derived terms
Descendants
Adjective
open
Etymology
Noun
open n (plural openuri)
- open (sports event)
Declension
Declension of open
References
Etymology
Borrowed from German Low German open. Compare Kashubian ôpen and Greater Polish hapem .
Pronunciation
Adjective
open (not comparable, indeclinable, no derived adverb)
Adverb
open (not comparable)
Further reading
- Lorentz, Friedrich (1908) “ǻu̯pĕn”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 1, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 8
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
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