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open
- Main Entry:
- 1open
- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈō-pən, -pəm\
- Function:
- adjective
- Inflected Form(s):
- open·er \ˈōp-nər, ˈō-pə-\; open·est \ˈōp-nəst, ˈō-pə-\
- Etymology:
- Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German offan open, Old English ūp up
- Date:
- before 12th century
1: having no enclosing or confining barrier : accessible on all or nearly all sides <cattle grazing on an open range>2 a (1): being in a position or adjustment to permit passage : not shut or locked <an open door> (2): having a barrier (as a door) so adjusted as to allow passage <the house was open> b: having the lips parted <stood there with his mouth wide open> c: not buttoned or zipped <an open shirt>3 a: completely free from concealment : exposed to general view or knowledge <their hostilities eventually erupted with open war> b: exposed or vulnerable to attack or question : subject <open to doubt> c: being an operation or surgical procedure in which an incision is made such that the tissues are fully exposed4 a: not covered with a top, roof, or lid <an open car> <her eyes were open> b: having no protective covering <open wiring> <an open wound>5: not restricted to a particular group or category of participants <open to the public> <open housing>: as a: enterable by both amateur and professional contestants <an open tournament> b: enterable by a registered voter regardless of political affiliation <an open primary>6: fit to be traveled over : presenting no obstacle to passage or view <the open road> <open country>7: having the parts or surfaces laid out in an expanded position : spread out : unfolded <an open book>8 a (1): low 13 (2): formed with the tongue in a lower position <Italian has an open and a close e> b (1): having clarity and resonance unimpaired by undue tension or constriction of the throat <an open vocal tone> (2)of a tone : produced by an open string or on a wind instrument by the lip without the use of slides, valves, or keys9 a: available to follow or make use of <the only course open to us> b: not taken up with duties or engagements <keep an hour open on Friday> c: not finally decided : subject to further consideration <the salary is open> <an open question> d: available for a qualified applicant : vacant <the job is still open> e: remaining available for use or filling until canceled <an open order for more items> f: available for future purchase <these items are in open stock> g: available for breeding : not now pregnant <an open heifer> h: not proprietary : available to third party developers <open source code>10 a: characterized by ready accessibility and usu. generous attitude: as (1): generous in giving (2): willing to hear and consider or to accept and deal with : responsive (3): free from reserve or pretense : frank b: accessible to the influx of new factors (as foreign goods) <an open market>11 a: having openings, interruptions, or spaces <open mesh>: as (1): being porous and friable <open soil> (2): sparsely distributed : scattered <open population> (3)of a compound : having components separated by a space in writing or printing (as opaque projector) b: not made up of a continuous closed circuit of channels <the insect circulatory system is open>12 aof an organ pipe : not stopped at the top bof a string on a musical instrument : not stopped by the finger13: being in operation <an open microphone>; especially : ready for business, patronage, or use <the store is open from 9 to 5> <the new highway will be open next week>14 a (1): characterized by lack of effective regulation of various commercial enterprises <an open town> (2): not repressed by legal controls <open gambling> b: free from checking or hampering restraints <an open economy> c: relatively unguarded by opponents <passed to an open teammate>15: having been opened by a first ante, bet, or bid <the bidding is open>16of punctuation : characterized by sparing use especially of the comma17 a: containing none of its endpoints <an open interval> b: being a set or composed of sets each point of which has a neighborhood all of whose points are contained in the set <the interior of a sphere is an open set>18 a: being an incomplete electrical circuit b: not allowing the flow of electricity <an open switch>19of a universe : having insufficient mass to halt expansion gravitationally
— open adverb
— open·ly \ˈō-pən-lē\ adverb — open·ness \-pə(n)-nəs\ noun
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