Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Open

O′pen

,
Adj.
[AS.
open
; akin to D.
open
, OS.
opan
, G.
offan
, Icel.
opinn
, Sw.
öppen
, Dan.
aaben
, and perh. to E.
up
. Cf.
Up
, and
Ope
.]
1.
Free of access; not shut up; not closed; affording unobstructed ingress or egress; not impeding or preventing passage; not locked up or covered over; – applied to passageways;
as, an
open
door, window, road, etc.
; also, to inclosed structures or objects;
as,
open
houses, boxes, baskets, bottles, etc.
; also, to means of communication or approach by water or land;
as, an
open
harbor or roadstead
.
Through the gate,
Wide
open
and unguarded, Satan passed.
Milton
Also, figuratively, used of the ways of communication of the mind, as by the senses; ready to hear, see, etc.; as, to keep one’s eyes and ears open.
His ears are
open
unto their cry.
Ps. xxxiv. 15.
2.
Free to be used, enjoyed, visited, or the like; not private; public; unrestricted in use;
as, an
open
library, museum, court, or other assembly
; liable to the approach, trespass, or attack of any one; unprotected; exposed.
If Demetrius . . . have a matter against any man, the law is
open
and there are deputies.
Acts xix. 33.
The service that I truly did his life,
Hath left me
open
to all injuries.
Shakespeare
3.
Free or cleared of obstruction to progress or to view; accessible;
as, an
open
tract; the
open
sea.
4.
Not drawn together, closed, or contracted; extended; expanded;
as, an
open
hand;
open
arms; an
open
flower; an
open
prospect.
Each, with
open
arms, embraced her chosen knight.
Dryden.
5.
Hence:
(a)
Without reserve or false pretense; sincere; characterized by sincerity; unfeigned; frank; also, generous; liberal; bounteous; – applied to personal appearance, or character, and to the expression of thought and feeling, etc.
With aspect
open
, shall erect his head.
Pope.
The Moor is of a free and
open
nature.
Shakespeare
The French are always
open
, familiar, and talkative.
Addison.
His thefts are too
open
.
Shakespeare
That I may find him, and with secret gaze
Or
open
admiration him behold.
Milton.
6.
Not of a quality to prevent communication, as by closing water ways, blocking roads, etc.; hence, not frosty or inclement; mild; – used of the weather or the climate;
as, an
open
season; an
open
winter.
Bacon.
7.
Not settled or adjusted; not decided or determined; not closed or withdrawn from consideration;
as, an
open
account; an
open
question; to keep an offer or opportunity
open
.
8.
Free; disengaged; unappropriated;
as, to keep a day
open
for any purpose; to be
open
for an engagement.
9.
(Phon.)
(a)
Uttered with a relatively wide opening of the articulating organs; – said of vowels;
as, the än fär is
open
as compared with the ā in sāy
.
(b)
Uttered, as a consonant, with the oral passage simply narrowed without closure, as in uttering s.
10.
(Mus.)
(a)
Not closed or stopped with the finger; – said of the string of an instrument, as of a violin, when it is allowed to vibrate throughout its whole length.
(b)
Produced by an open string;
as, an
open
tone
.
The open air
,
the air out of doors.
–
Open chain
.
(Chem.)
See
Closed chain
, under
Chain
.
–
Open circuit
(Elec.)
,
a conducting circuit which is incomplete, or interrupted at some point; – opposed to an uninterrupted, or
closed circuit
.
–
Open communion
,
communion in the Lord's supper not restricted to persons who have been baptized by immersion. Cf.
Close communion
, under
Close
,
Adj.
–
Open diapason
(Mus.)
,
a certain stop in an organ, in which the pipes or tubes are formed like the mouthpiece of a flageolet at the end where the wind enters, and are open at the other end.
–
Open flank
(Fort.)
,
the part of the flank covered by the orillon.
–
Open-front furnace
(Metal.)
,
a blast furnace having a forehearth.
–
Open harmony
(Mus.)
,
harmony the tones of which are widely dispersed, or separated by wide intervals.
–
Open hawse
(Naut.)
,
a hawse in which the cables are parallel or slightly divergent. Cf.
Foul hawse
, under
Hawse
.
–
Open hearth
(Metal.)
,
the shallow hearth of a reverberatory furnace.
–
Open-hearth furnace
,
a reverberatory furnace; esp., a kind of reverberatory furnace in which the fuel is gas, used in manufacturing steel.
–
Open-hearth process
(Steel Manuf.)
,
a process by which melted cast iron is converted into steel by the addition of wrought iron, or iron ore and manganese, and by exposure to heat in an open-hearth furnace; – also called the
Siemens-Martin process
, from the inventors.
–
Open-hearth steel
,
steel made by an open-hearth process; – also called
Siemens-Martin steel
.
–
Open newel
.
(Arch.)
See
Hollow newel
, under
Hollow
.
–
Open pipe
(Mus.)
,
a pipe open at the top. It has a pitch about an octave higher than a closed pipe of the same length.
–
Open-timber roof
(Arch.)
,
a roof of which the constructional parts, together with the under side of the covering, or its lining, are treated ornamentally, and left to form the ceiling of an apartment below, as in a church, a public hall, and the like.
–
Open vowel
or
Open consonant
.
See
Open
,
Adj.
, 9.
☞ Open is used in many compounds, most of which are self-explaining; as, open-breasted, open-minded.
Syn. – Unclosed; uncovered; unprotected; exposed; plain; apparent; obvious; evident; public; unreserved; frank; sincere; undissembling; artless. See
Candid
, and
Ingenuous
.

O′pen

,
Noun.
Open or unobstructed space; clear land, without trees or obstructions; open ocean; open water.
“To sail into the open.”
Jowett (Thucyd.).
Then we got into the
open
.
W. Black.

O′pen

Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Opened
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Opening
.]
[AS.
openian
. See
Open
,a.]
1.
To make or set open; to render free of access; to unclose; to unbar; to unlock; to remove any fastening or covering from;
as, to
open
a door; to
open
a box; to
open
a room; to
open
a letter.
And all the windows of my heart
I
open
to the day.
Whittier.
2.
To spread; to expand;
as, to
open
the hand
.
3.
To disclose; to reveal; to interpret; to explain.
The king
opened
himself to some of his council, that he was sorry for the earl's death.
Bacon.
Unto thee have I
opened
my cause.
Jer. xx. 12.
While he
opened
to us the Scriptures.
Luke xxiv. 32.
4.
To make known; to discover; also, to render available or accessible for settlements, trade, etc.
The English did adventure far for to
open
the North parts of America.
Abp. Abbot.
5.
To enter upon; to begin;
as, to
open
a discussion; to
open
fire upon an enemy; to
open
trade, or correspondence; to
open
an investigation; to
open
a case in court, or a meeting.
6.
To loosen or make less compact;
as, to
open
matted cotton by separating the fibers
.
To open one's mouth
,
to speak
.
–
To open up
,
to lay open; to discover; to disclose.
Poetry that had
opened up
so many delightful views into the character and condition of our “bold peasantry, their country's pride.”
Prof. Wilson.

O′pen

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To unclose; to form a hole, breach, or gap; to be unclosed; to be parted.
The earth
opened
and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.
Ps. cvi. 17.
2.
To expand; to spread out; to be disclosed;
as, the harbor
opened
to our view
.
3.
To begin; to commence;
as, the stock
opened
at par; the battery
opened
upon the enemy.
4.
(Sporting)
To bark on scent or view of the game.

Webster 1828 Edition

Open

OPEN

, a o'pn.
1.
Unclosed; not shut; as, the gate is open; an open door or window; an open book; open eyes.
2.
Spread; expanded. He received his son with open arms.
3.
Unsealed; as an open letter.
4.
Not shut or fast; as an open hand.
5.
Not covered; as the open air; an open vessel.
6.
Not covered with trees; clear; as an open country or field.
7.
Not stopped; as an open bottle.
8.
Not fenced or obstructed; as an open road.
9.
Not frosty; warmer than usual; not freezing severely; as an open winter.
An open and warm winter portendeth a hot and dry summer.
Johnson interprets open, in this passage, by not cloudy, not gloomy. I think the definition wrong. In America, an open winter is one in which the earth is not bound with frost and covered with snow.
10.
Public; before a court and its suitors. His testimony was given in open court.
11.
Admitting all persons without restraint; free to all comers. He keeps open house at the election.
12.
Clear of ice; as, the river or the harbor is open.
13.
Plain; apparent; evident; public; not secret or concealed; as an open declaration; open avowal; open shame; open defiance. The nations contend to open war or in open arms.
14.
Not wearing disguise; frank; sincere; unreserved; candid; artless.
He was held a man open and of good faith.
His generous, open undesigning heart.
15.
Not clouded; not contracted or frowning; having an air of frankness and sincerity; as an open look.
With aspect open shall erect his head.
16.
Not hidden; exposed to view.
We are to exercise our thoughts and lay open the treasures of divine truth.
17.
Ready to hear or receive what is offered.
His ears are open to their cry. Ps. 34.
18.
Free to be employed for redress; not restrained or denied; not precluding any person.
The law is open. Acts 19.
19.
Exposed; not protected; without defense. The country is open to the invaders.
- Hath left me open to all injuries.
20.
Attentive; employed in inspection.
Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men - Jer. 32.
21.
Clear; unobstructed; as an open view.
22.
Unsettled; not balanced or closed; as an open account.
Open accounts between merchants.
23.
Not closed; free to be debated; as a question open for discussion.
24.
In music, an open note is that which a string is tuned to produce.

OPEN

,
Verb.
T.
o'pn.
1.
To unclose; to unbar; to unlock; to remove any fastening or cover and set open; as, to open a door or gate; to open a desk.
2.
To break the seal of a letter and unfold it.
3.
To separate parts that are close; as, to open the lips; to open the mouth or eyes or eyelids; to open a book.
4.
To remove a covering from; as, to open a pit.
5.
To cut through; to perforate; to lance; as, to open the skin; to open an abscess.
6.
To break; to divide; to split or rend; as, the earth was opened in many places by an earthquake; a rock is opened by blasting.
7.
To clear; to make by removing obstructions; as, to open a road; to open a passage; the heat of spring opens rivers bound with ice.
8.
To spread; to expand; as, to open the hand.
9.
To unstop; as, to open a bottle.
10.
To begin; to make the first exhibition. The attorney general opens the cause on the part of the king or the state. Homer opens his poem with the utmost simplicity and modesty.
11.
To show; to bring to view or knowledge.
The English did adventure far to open the north parts of America.
12.
To interpret; to explain.
- While he opened to us the Scriptures. Luke. 24.
13.
To reveal; to disclose. He opened his mind very freely.
14.
To make liberal; as, to open the heart.
15.
To make the first discharge of artillery; as, to open a heavy fire on the enemy.
16.
To enter on or begin; as to open a negotiation or correspondence; to open a trade with the Indies.
17.
To begin to see by the removal of something intercepted the view; as, we sailed round the point and opened the harbor.

OPEN

,
Verb.
I.
o'pn.
1.
To unclose itself; to be unclosed; to be parted.
The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. Ps. 106.
2.
To begin to appear. As we sailed round the point, the harbor opened to our view.
3.
To commence; to begin. sales of stock open at par.
4.
To bark; a term in hunting.

Definition 2024

Open

Open

See also: open

Plautdietsch

Noun

Open

  1. plural of Op

open

open

English

Adjective

open ‎(comparative more open, superlative most open)

  1. (not comparable) not closed; accessible; unimpeded
    • 1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, Chapter 2
      The open road, the dusty highway […]
    • 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.
    Turn left after the second open door.‎
    It was as if his body had gone to sleep standing up and with his eyes open.‎
  2. Not drawn together, closed, or contracted; extended; expanded.
    an open hand; an open flower; an open prospect
    • Dryden
      Each, with open arms, embraced her chosen knight.
  3. (not comparable) Actively conducting or prepared to conduct business.
    Banks are not open on bank holidays.‎
  4. (comparable) Receptive.
    I am open to new ideas.‎
    • Bible, Acts xix. 33
      If Demetrius […] have a matter against any man, the law is open and there are deputies.
    • Shakespeare
      The service that I truly did his life, / Hath left me open to all injuries.
  5. (not comparable) Public
    He published an open letter to the governor on a full page of the New York Times.‎
    • Shakespeare
      His thefts are too open.
    • Milton
      That I may find him, and with secret gaze / Or open admiration him behold.
  6. (not comparable) Candid, ingenuous, not subtle in character.
    The man is an open book.‎
    • Alexander Pope
      with aspect open, shall erect his head
    • Shakespeare
      The Moor is of a free and open nature.
    • Addison
      The French are always open, familiar, and talkative.
  7. (mathematics, logic, of a formula) Having a free variable.
  8. (mathematics, topology, of a set) Which is part of a predefined collection of subsets of , that defines a topological space on .
  9. (graph theory, of a walk) Whose first and last vertices are different.
  10. (computing, not comparable, of a file, document, etc.) In current use; mapped to part of memory.
    I couldn't save my changes because another user had the same file open.‎
  11. (business) Not fulfilled.
    I've got open orders for as many containers of red durum as you can get me.‎
  12. Not settled or adjusted; not decided or determined; not closed or withdrawn from consideration.
    an open question
    to keep an offer or opportunity open
  13. (music, stringed instruments) Without any fingers pressing the string against the fingerboard.
  14. 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
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)
  15. (phonetics) Uttered with a relatively wide opening of the articulating organs; said of vowels.
  16. (phonetics) Uttered, as a consonant, with the oral passage simply narrowed without closure.
  17. (computing) Made public, usable with a free licence.
  18. (medicine) Resulting from an incision, puncture or any other process by which the skin no longer protects an internal part of the body.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

open ‎(third-person singular simple present opens, present participle opening, simple past and past participle opened)

  1. (transitive) To make something accessible or remove an obstacle to its being accessible.
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 7, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
      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:
      ‘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.’
    Turn the doorknob to open the door.‎
    He opened a path through the undergrowth.‎
  2. (transitive) To bring up (a topic).
    I don't want to open that subject.‎
  3. (transitive) To make accessible to customers or clients.
    I will open the shop an hour early tomorrow.‎
  4. (transitive) To start (a campaign).
    Vermont will open elk hunting season next week.‎
  5. (intransitive) To become open.
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
      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.
    The door opened all by itself.‎
  6. (intransitive) To begin conducting business.
    The shop opens at 9:00.‎
  7. To enter upon; to 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
  8. (intransitive, cricket) To begin a side's innings as one of the first two batsmen.
  9. (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.‎
  10. (transitive, intransitive, poker) To reveal one's hand.
    Jeff opens his hand revealing a straight flush.‎
  11. (computing, transitive, intransitive, of a file, document, etc.) To load into memory for viewing or editing.
  12. To spread; to expand into an open or loose position.
    to open a closed fist
    to open matted cotton by separating the fibres
  13. (obsolete) To disclose; to reveal; to interpret; to explain.
    • Francis Bacon
      The king opened himself to some of his council, that he was sorry for the earl's death.
    • Bible, Jer. xx. 12
      Unto thee have I opened my cause.
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Noun

open ‎(plural opens)

  1. A sports event in which anybody can compete; as, the Australian Open.
  2. (electronics) a wire that is broken midway.
    The electrician found the open in the circuit after a few minutes of testing.
  3. (with the) 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.
  4. (with the) Public knowledge or scrutiny; full view.
    We have got to bring this company's corrupt business practices into the open.
Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: leave · rest · 2 · #325: open · therefore · feet · lay

Anagrams

Catalan

Etymology

From English open.

Noun

open m ‎(plural open or òpens)

  1. (sports) open

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈoː.pə(n)/
  • Rhymes: -oːpən

Etymology

From Middle Dutch open, from Old Dutch *opan, from Proto-Germanic *upanaz. Compare Low German apen, open, German offen, West Frisian iepen, English open, Danish åben, Norwegian open, Swedish öppen.

Adjective

open ‎(comparative opener, superlative openst)

  1. open

Inflection

Inflection 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

Verb

open

  1. first-person singular present indicative of openen
  2. imperative of openen

Anagrams

Finnish

Noun

open

  1. Genitive singular form of ope.

French

Etymology

Borrowing from English open.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɔp.ɛn/

Noun

open m ‎(plural opens)

  1. open; open tournament

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse opinn, from Proto-Germanic *upanaz. Compare Danish åben, Icelandic opinn, Swedish öppen, Dutch open, Low German apen, open, German offen, West Frisian iepen, English open.

Adjective

open ‎(masculine and feminine open, neuter ope/opent, definite singular and plural opne, comparative opnare, indefinite superlative opnast, definite superlative opnaste)

  1. open
    Kvifor er døra open?
    Why is the door open?

References

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *upanaz. Originally a past participle of Proto-Germanic *ūpaną ‎(“to lift up, open”). Akin to Old English ūp ‎(“up”). Compare Old Frisian open, opin, epen (West Frisian iepen), Old Saxon opan, open (Low German apen, open), Dutch open, Old High German offan, ofan, ophan (German offen), Old Norse opinn (Danish åben, Norwegian open, Swedish öppen).

Adjective

open

  1. open

Descendants

Spanish

Etymology

From English open.

Noun

open m ‎(plural opens)

  1. (sports) open

Etymology

From Middle English open, from Old English open ‎(“open”), from Proto-Germanic *upanaz ‎(“open”), from Proto-Indo-European *upo ‎(“up from under, over”). Cognate with Scots open ‎(“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 åpen ‎(“open”), Icelandic opinn ‎(“open”). Compare also Latin supinus ‎(“on one's back, supine”), Albanian hap ‎(“to open”). Related to up.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ō'pən, IPA(key): /ˈəʊ.pən/
  • (US) enPR: ō'pən, IPA(key): /ˈoʊ.pən/
  • Rhymes: -əʊpən

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