What does open mean?

What does open mean?. The world's largest and most trusted free online dictionary: definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more.

What does open mean? - The Free Dictionary

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[n] a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water(finally broke out of the forest into the open)[v] cause to open or to become open(Mary opened the car door)[a] affording unobstructed entrance and exit; not shut or closed(an open door they left the door open)[n] where the air i

open

open - The Free Dictionary

[n] a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
(finally broke out of the forest into the open)

[v] cause to open or to become open
(Mary opened the car door)

[a] affording unobstructed entrance and exit; not shut or closed
(an open door they left the door open)

[n] where the air is unconfined
(he wanted to get outdoors a little the concert was held in the open air camping in the open)

[v] start to operate or function or cause to start operating or functioning
(open a business)

[a] affording free passage or access
(open drains the road is open to traffic open ranks)

[n] a tournament in which both professionals and amateurs may play

[v] become open
(The door opened)

[a] with no protection or shield
(the exposed northeast frontier open to the weather an open wound)

[n] information that has become public
(all the reports were out in the open the facts had been brought to the surface)

[v] begin or set in action, of meetings, speeches, recitals, etc.
(He opened the meeting with a long speech)

[a] open to or in view of all
(an open protest an open letter to the editor)

[v] spread out or open from a closed or folded state
(open the map spread your arms)

[a] used of mouth or eyes
(keep your eyes open his mouth slightly opened)

[v] make available
(This opens up new possibilities)

[a] not having been filled
(the job is still open)

[v] become available
(an opportunity opened up)

[a] accessible to all
(open season an open economy)

[v] have an opening or passage or outlet
(The bedrooms open into the hall)

[a] not defended or capable of being defended
(an open city open to attack)

[v] make the opening move
(Kasparov opened with a standard opening)

[a] (of textures) full of small openings or gaps
(an open texture a loose weave)

[v] afford access to
(the door opens to the patio The French doors give onto a terrace)

[a] having no protecting cover or enclosure
(an open boat an open fire open sports cars)

[v] display the contents of a file or start an application as on a computer

[a] (set theory) of an interval that contains neither of its endpoints

[a] not brought to a conclusion; subject to further thought
(an open question our position on this bill is still undecided our lawsuit is still undetermined)

[a] not sealed or having been unsealed
(the letter was already open the opened package lay on the table)

[a] without undue constriction as from e.g. tenseness or inhibition
(the clarity and resonance of an open tone her natural and open response)

[a] ready or willing to receive favorably
(receptive to the proposals)

[a] open and observable; not secret or hidden
(an overt lie overt hostility overt intelligence gathering open ballots)

[a] not requiring union membership
(an open shop employs nonunion workers)

[a] possibly accepting or permitting
(a passage capable of misinterpretation open to interpretation an issue open to question the time is fixed by the director and players and therefore subject to much variation)

[a] affording free passage or view
(a clear view a clear path to victory open waters the open countryside)

[a] openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness
(his candid eyes an open and trusting nature a heart-to-heart talk)

[a] ready for business
(the stores are open)

Other vocabulary

o, o level, o ring, o'brien, o'casey, o'clock, o'connor, o'er, o'flaherty, o'hara, o'keeffe, o'neill, o'toole, o. henry, o.d., o.e.d., o.k., oaf, oafish, oahu, oahu island, oak, oak apple, oak blight, oak chestnut, oak fern, oak leaf cluster, oak tree, oak-leaved goosefoot, oaken, p, p-n junction, p-n-p transistor, p-type semiconductor, p. g. wodehouse, p. p. von mauser, p. t. barnum, p.a., p.a. system, p.e., p.m., p.o., p/e ratio, pa, pa system, pa'anga, paba, pabir, pablo casals, pablo neruda, pablo picasso, pablum, pabulum, pac, pac-man strategy, paca, pace, pace car, pace lap, pacemaker

Dictionary

A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, pronunciations, translation, etc. It is a lexicographical reference that shows inter-relationships among the data.

A broad distinction is made between general and specialized dictionaries. Specialized dictionaries include words in specialist fields, rather than a complete range of words in the language. Lexical items that describe concepts in specific fields are usually called terms instead of words, although there is no consensus whether lexicology and terminology are two different fields of study. In theory, general dictionaries are supposed[citation needed] to be semasiological, mapping word to definition, while specialized dictionaries are supposed to be onomasiological, first identifying concepts and then establishing the terms used to designate them. In practice, the two approaches are used for both types. There are other types of dictionaries that do not fit neatly into the above distinction, for instance bilingual (translation) dictionaries, dictionaries of synonyms (thesauri), and rhyming dictionaries. The word dictionary (unqualified) is usually understood to refer to a general purpose monolingual dictionary.

There is also a contrast between prescriptive or descriptive dictionaries; the former reflect what is seen as correct use of the language while the latter reflect recorded actual use. Stylistic indications (e.g. "informal" or "vulgar") in many modern dictionaries are also considered by some to be less than objectively descriptive.

The first recorded dictionaries date back to Sumerian times around 2300 BCE, in the form of bilingual dictionaries, and the oldest surviving monolingual dictionaries are Chinese dictionaries c. 3rd century BCE. The first purely English alphabetical dictionary was A Table Alphabeticall, written in 1604, and monolingual dictionaries in other languages also began appearing in Europe at around this time. The systematic study of dictionaries as objects of scientific interest arose as a 20th-century enterprise, called lexicography, and largely initiated by Ladislav Zgusta. The birth of the new discipline was not without controversy, with the practical dictionary-makers being sometimes accused by others of having an "astonishing" lack of method and critical-self reflection.