openn.
/ˈəʊp(ə)n/, U.S. /ˈoʊp(ə)n/ I. A gap, a space.† 2. Unconcealed or plainly seen condition. in (also on) open: in public; for all to see or hear; outwardly. into open: into public notice or view. Obsolete.† 4. Stock Market colloquial. With the. = open market n. Obsolete. rare.
1. † a. An aperture or opening, esp. in the body or in a building; a gap. Obsolete. open of the head n. Anatomy the anterior fontanelle in the skull of an infant or fetus.† b. The mouth or estuary of a river; = opening n. 9d. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun]
holec725
thirla900
eyeOE
opena1200
opening?c1225
overturec1400
overta1425
wideness?c1425
howe1487
hiatus1563
vent1594
apertion1599
ferme1612
notch1615
sluice1648
gape1658
aperture1661
want1664
door1665
hiulcitya1681
to pass through the eye of a needle (also a needle's eye)1720
vista1727
light1776
ope1832
lacuna1872
doughnut hole1886
a1200 (?OE) MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 191 (MED) Swo doð þe werse, þenne he auint mannes hearte emti of rihte bi-leue and of soðere luue, he secheð forte þat he open fint, and diȝeliche smuhgð þer inne.
?a1450 J. Arderne in 17th Internat. Congr. Med. (1914) xxiii. 128 (MED) Sir Thomas Newmache hadde a sone that hadde a wenne ryght uppone the opene of the heed before & he was borne withall.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) viii. l. 1065 The fyr brak in at all opynnys about.
a1500 tr. A. Chartier Traité de l'Esperance (Rawl.) (1974) 22 (MED) He opened by His spirutuall power the yate, through the which opyn the fleschly worlde may entre into the blissid life.
a1540 (c1460) G. Hay tr. Bk. King Alexander 1566 His helm was teit ouir mekill to the syde Till haue mair sicht, the oppin weill he spyde.
1597 King James VI & I Daemonologie (1924) 39 By whatsoeuer open the aire may enter in at.
1686 Bp. G. Burnet Some Lett. conc. Switzerland iv. 240 At the top there is an open left of thirty foot in Diameter.
1722 W. Hamilton Life of Sir William Wallace xi. i. 280 A subtile English Knight there suddenly, An open 'twixt his Harnish did espy, Thro' which..He in his Bowels thrust his bloody Spear.
1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture II. 41/1 The height of the Open of that door is divided into three parts.
1782 Monro's Anat. Human Bones (new ed.) 66 The..unossified..part of the cranium [in] new-born children, called by the vulgar the open of the head.
1848 D. Murray Old College (1927) 412 I could see the College Open leading from the High St. to the church.
1885 R. C. Praed Head Station 21 Other dusky forms..sprawled on red blankets at the open of their gunyahs.
1897 Shetland News 28 Aug. 8/1 Shü's gotten a sair brüse i' da open o' her head.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > mouth or outfall
mouthlOE
issue1423
firthc1425
estuary15..
fall1511
port1555
inset1559
water mouth1574
open1582
emboguing1603
ostium1611
inver1615
outfall1629
ostiary1646
influx1652
disclosure1660
discharge1688
waterfoot1730
outflux1739
embouchure1792
sortie1809
beal1819
debouchure1832
salting-place1842
embouchement1844
debouchment1859
ria1887
1582 R. Madox Diary 6 Aug. in E. S. Donno Elizabethan in 1582 (1976) 161 Because we saw an open, the Frances and Elsabeth ran yn northward to yt who brought us word that it were the 3 yland[s] in the mowth of Madrebumba.
1710 London Gaz. No. 4655/3 The Dunwich..gave Chace to a French Privateer..in the open of Humber, and..took her.
1798 Hull Advertiser 29 Dec. 2/1 Anchors and cables, lost and left in the Humber..in the open of Patrington Swatch Way.
c. Mining. English regional (Derbyshire). A large cavern; also called self-open. Also (rare): a natural fissure.Also in the names of particular caverns, as The Opens, The Great Open.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > hole or pit > [noun] > cave
covec950
denOE
cavec1220
rochea1300
spelunk13..
cavernc1374
cabin1377
speke1377
antruma1398
minea1398
thurse-house?c1450
crypt?a1475
vault1535
chamber1575
antre1585
underground1594
Peak1600
lustre?1615
open?1644
cunicle1657
subterranean1714
subterrane1759
loch1767
purgatory1797
vug1818
?1644 G. Hopkinson Laws & Customs Mines Wappentake of Wirksworth (1948) 5/1 As those which we call Loughs, being Great opens of ore and soil as High and wide as an House or Church sometimes.
1811 J. Farey Gen. View Agric. Derbyshire I. 292 The other Lime Rocks have also their Opens and Caverns.
1961 L. D. Stamp Gloss. Geogr. Terms 346/1 Open. 1. A large cavern (also self-open). 2. A natural fissure (miners term) (G. T. W[arwick]).
1998 J. H. Rieuwerts Gloss. Derbyshire Lead Mining Terms 110/2 Open, self-open, cavernous places encountered during mining operations.
d. English regional. A gap in sand dunes through which a road passes to the shore.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > valley > [noun] > gorge or ravine
cloughc1330
heugha1400
straitc1400
gillc1440
gulfa1533
gull1553
gap1555
coomb1578
gullet1600
nick1606
goyle1617
gully1637
nullah1656
ravine1687
barrancaa1691
kloof1731
ravin1746
water gap1756
gorge1769
arroyo1777
quebrada1787
rambla1789
flume1792
linn1799
cañada1814
gulch1832
cañon1834
canyon1837
khud1837
couloir1855
draw1864
box canyon1869
sitch1888
tangi1901
opena1903
a1903 J. T. Fowler in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1903) IV. 355/1 [East Lincolnshire] Open, a gap in the sand-hills through which wheeled carriages can get from the road to the beach.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > clearness, lucidity > [adverb]
sutelichec900
openlyOE
redelya1250
redlyc1275
in (also on) opena1382
distinctly1382
plainlya1393
lightsomely?1510
markly1533
natively1542
pervially?1611
dilucidly1638
unmistakably1665
realizingly1786
unambiguously1790
starkly1928
accessibly2003
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > [adverb]
into opena1382
up1593
revealingly1846
apocalyptically1848
society > communication > manifestation > manifestness > openness or unconcealedness > [adverb]
barelyc950
beforeOE
openlyOE
nakedly?c1225
in a person's bearda1250
opelyc1275
apertly1297
commonlya1325
opena1325
overtlyc1325
pertlya1375
plainc1380
in (also on) opena1382
in apertc1384
plainlyc1390
in open (also general) audiencea1393
aperta1400
in commonaltya1400
outa1400
without laina1400
in commonc1400
publishlyc1400
pertc1410
in publicc1429
on higha1450
in pert1453
to a person's facea1470
into heightc1480
forthward?1504
but hidel?1507
publicly1534
uncolouredly1561
roundly1563
famously1570
vulgarly1602
above board1603
round1604
displayedly1611
on (also upon) the square?1611
undisguisedly1611
broadly1624
discoveredly1659
unveiledly1661
under a person's nose1670
manifestly1711
before faces1762
publically1797
overboard1834
unashamedly1905
upfront1972
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > assured fact, certainty > evident certainty > [adverb]
couthlyc900
yareOE
witterlyc1175
apertlyc1315
in (also on) opena1382
apodictically1615
demonstratedly1670
unsuspectedly1748
unsuspiciouslya1812
distinctly1858
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Wisd. xiv. 17 Þese whom in opene men myȝten not worshipen.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. 616 (MED) He seith in open, ‘fy to Sinne’, And in secre ther is no vice Of which that he nis a Norrice.
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Luke viii. 17 Ther is no hid thing which schal not be knowun and come in to open.
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) viii. 1366 This example in open he hath shewed.
c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 104 (MED) In opun þei feyn hem to be displecid of þingis þat þei don in hid.
a1500 St. Brendan's Confession (Lamb.) 145 in Geibun-Kenkyu (1968) 25 11 (MED) I schulde lye no lesyng, neþer in priue ne in open.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 4268 Delos, who demys hit, is duly to say..a shewyng on opun.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII iii. ii. 405 The Lady Anne..This day was view'd in open, as his Queene. View more context for this quotation
1644 J. Maxwell Answer to Worthy Gentleman 285 You shall have them anon in open contemning Soveraign Authority.
3.
a. With the. The part of the countryside that is unenclosed or unfenced; land or ground clear of trees, buildings, or any other cover. Also (esp. in later use): = open air n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > body of water > [noun]
watereOE
freshlOE
openc1485
strand1513
shard1590
water body1723
drink1832
lane1835
swim1880
nappe1887
dead zone1971
the world > the earth > land > landscape > level land > [noun] > the open
fieldOE
openc1485
champian1579
campaigna1667
the world > the earth > land > tract > [noun] > common or unenclosed
common1377
moor1386
common land1470
champestrea1492
common field1523
champaign1555
commons1583
champian1611
commonity1612
public domain1627
commonage1635
commoninga1661
range1707–8
open1733
common area1837
mark1849
veld1852
outdoors1859
wide (also great, vast) open spaces1910
the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > [noun] > common or unenclosed land
lea805
leasea1000
green1190
common1377
tye1407
common field1523
champaign1555
commons1583
champian1611
commonage1635
commoninga1661
open1733
open field1762
mark1849
veld1852
scat-field1881
stray1889
the world > matter > gas > air > fresh air > [noun] > open air
open air?a1425
open airs1683
rude air1737
out of doors1819
outdoors1859
open1874
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Gouernaunce of Princis (1993) xxxvi. 117 Jn all placis quhare thou may gett him at the opyn—and at thine avantage.
1620 tr. G. Boccaccio Decameron II. vii. viii. f. 45 What could he haue done more, if he had taken thee in the open streete, and in company of some wanton Gallants?
1624 J. Smith Gen. Hist. Virginia iii. 65 Presently from each side the river came arrowes..whereat we returned to get the open..we seised on all their canowes, and moored them in the midst of the open.
1669 J. Worlidge Systema Agriculturæ ii. 14 The Vales and Enclosures also being by far the greater Support of our English Granary, than the Open, Champion, and the Hills.
1733 A. Pope Ess. Man i. 10 Let us beat these gamesul fields, Try what the open, what the covert, yields.
1794 W. Godwin Caleb Williams III. ii. 20 We walked about three quarters of a mile, and that not towards the open, but the most uncouth and unfrequented part of the forest.
1858 C. Kingsley My Hunting Song in Andromeda & Other Poems 128 One more fence and we're out on the open.
1874 G. Wolseley in F. G. D. Bedford Sailor's Pocket Bk. vii. 204 In tropical climates it is pleasant at night to bivouac in the open.
1897 B. Carman Ballads Lost Haven 26 They scour upon the open, and mass along the wood.
1920 D. H. Lawrence Women in Love ix. 124 A miner could be seen washing himself in the open on this hot evening.
1980 C. Mungoshi Some Kinds of Wounds 32 They left the bush and came out into the open.
1999 Mirror 15 June 5/1 The refugees..have been living in the open since April..since being booted out of their homes at gunpoint.
b. As a count noun. An open space or expanse of ground; a clearing. Chiefly North American.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > [noun] > unobstructed space
room1517
field room1575
field-roomth1612
vacation1743
open1771
1771 E. Griffith tr. ‘P. Viaud’ Shipwreck 163 The trees stood so close together, that there were but a few opens left for us to pass through.
1796 Hist. Ned Evans I. 193 He was astonished to see so extensive an open in the midst of a populous city.
1846 W. D. Stewart & J. W. Webb Altowan I. viii. 201 They cautiously entered where there seemed no indication of an open.
1880 Encycl. Brit. XIII. 603/1 Living in herds of from fifty to one hundred in the grassy ‘opens’.
1891 New Eng. Mag. Mar. 804 Cromwell or Bonaparte, repulsed at Saratoga, would have turned swiftly back upon their track..into the open of Ticonderoga.
1902 O. Wister Virginian 407 The basin..lay below us, a great cup of country,—rock, woods, opens, and streams.
1958 Edmonton (Alberta) Jrnl. 28 July 4/3 The animal seemed to distrust the bald opens of the marsh.
c. With the. An expanse of sea away from land. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > sea or ocean > region of sea or ocean > [noun]
seasc825
oceanc1300
oceana1387
country1748
open1883
1883 Harper's Mag. Aug. 445/2 The Vindex..beat in the open the..schooner.., both being reefed down.
1889 T. C. Irwin Poems, Sketches, & Songs 66 An argosy..Amid the outward billows bounding Into the open.
1905 Baroness Orczy Scarlet Pimpernel xxii. 209 The breeze was just strong enough to nicely swell the sails of the Foam Crest, as she cut her way merrily towards the open.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > [noun] > traffic in stocks and shares > types of market
commodity market1843
primary market1859
short interest1866
bear market1873
aftermarket1887
terminal market1887
Kaffir Circus1889
shop1889
bull market1891
open1898
curb-market1900
the junglea1901
jungle-market1900
short market1900
down market1915
short end1964
third market1964
Unlisted Securities Market1979
USM1979
bulldog market1980
1898 Daily News 9 May 2/3 In the open, bar gold remained in strong demand for America at about 77s. 9¾d. per ounce.
5. An accidental break in the conducting path for an electric current. Cf. open adj. 16.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > transmission of electricity, conduction > [noun] > break in path
open1913
1913 T. W. Croft Amer. Electricians' Handbk. i. 55 Open circuits in multiple wiring installations are usually readily located... The lamps on the generator side of the ‘open’ will..burn while those on the far side will not.
1967 Electronics 6 Mar. 320/2 The D200's..identify shorts or opens and the polarity of diodes.
1990 Science 29 June 1606/2 Physical stress, or excess current can break these partial defects creating a full ‘open’.
6. Sport. A competition, tournament, etc., which anyone may enter.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > match or competition > [noun] > types of
all comersc1450
after-gamea1500
fore-game1594
revenge1616
plate1639
set-to1743
return match1753
bye1754
scrub-race1791
anybody's game (also race, match)1826
return1834
barney1843
bonspiel1858
handicap1861
pennant1865
home-and-home1868
benefit match1871
run-off1873
international1877
American tournament1878
Grand Prix1879
single1884
friendly1885
all-comers1889
pair1890
championship1893
round robin1894
replay1895
Olympiad1896
junior varsity1902
lightning tournament1903
rematch1903
road trip1903
pickup1905
freestyle1906
marathon1908
test1908
Derby1909
scrimmage1910
eliminator1911
twosome1911
triala1914
quadrangular1916
slug-fest1916
varsity match1921
needle contest1922
curtain jerker1923
needle match1923
open1926
needle fight1927
knock-out1928
shirt1930
masters1933
pro-amateur1934
tune-up1934
World Cup1934
pro-am1937
state1941
sizzler1942
runathon1943
mismatch1954
run-out1955
match-up1959
squeaker1961
triple-header1961
Super Bowl1967
invitational1968
needle game1970
major1976
slobberknocker1986
1926 P. G. Wodehouse Heart of Goof iv. 128 ‘After all, there is always golf.’.. ‘The Amateur Championship—’ ‘The Open!’
1930 Daily Express 8 Sept. 11/4 Miss Brazier also has played in ‘opens’.
1973 Guardian 28 June 13/3 The World Open is a ten-round [chess] championship open to all-comers.
1990 Match Fishing Feb. 34/3 Most of the team had disciplined themselves to fish as many opens and club matches on the venue as possible.
2001 Daily Tel. 6 Aug. 3/6 He left an extra club in his employer's bag at the Open and cost him a two-shot penalty.
7. colloquial. With the. The Open University. Cf. open university n. at open adj. Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > place of education > college or university > [noun] > university > specific university
Oxon.c1439
Oxford1455
Sorbonne1560
aunt1625
T.C.D.1831
other place1899
open university1902
U.C.L.a1912
University of the Air1922
U.C.L.A.1941
U.C.D.1955
OU1969
open1970
College of the Air1977
1970 Guardian 29 Aug. 9/6 Along with Jennie Lee, Mrs Thatcher has a right to be seen as the saviour of the Open.
1972 Guardian 15 June 9/5 Pupils in schools..had to wait until 21 to qualify for the Open or 23 to enter other universities as ‘mature’ students.
8. An opportunity; = opening n. 6. Also (in early use): a method. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > an opportunity > [noun] > opportunity
roomeOE
ease?c1225
leisure1303
toom1390
respite1443
openc1485
commodity1525
occasion1526
ope1611
conveniency1645
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 168 Me think this the rycht oppin(ion), and the best way.
1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks III. Misc. v. ii. 293 The poor..Shadow of an Adversary has said as little for his Cause as can be imagin'd, and given his Adversary as many Opens and Advantages as cou'd be desir'd.
1757 R. Griffith & E. Griffith Lett. Henry & Frances II. ccci. 292 Perhaps this may leave an Open to Sarcasm.
a1766 F. Sheridan Concl. Mem. Miss Sidney Bidulph (1770) V. xlviii. 68 Our sudden appearance would make an open for the scene I mediatated.
1866 A. Trollope Claverings xxx Down he went, and not finding a good open for a hazard, again waxed himself to the cushion.
Phrases
(out) in (also into) the open: openly; without concealment or obfuscation. to bring (out) in (also into) the open: to bring to public notice or view; to make public knowledge. to come (out) in (also into) the open: to reveal one's plans, thoughts, deeds, etc. Cf. into open at sense 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or reveal [verb (transitive)]
unwryc825
unhelec1000
to draw forthc1175
unhillc1200
to bring forth?c1225
unsteekc1250
let witc1275
uncovera1300
wraya1300
knowc1300
barea1325
shrivec1374
unwrapc1374
again-covera1382
nakena1382
outc1390
tellc1390
disclosea1393
cough1393
unhidea1400
unclosec1400
unhaspc1400
bewrayc1405
reveal1409
accusea1413
reveil1424
unlocka1425
unrekec1425
disclude?1440
uncurec1440
utter1444
detect1447
break1463
expose1483
divinec1500
revelate1514
to bring (also put) to light1526
decipher1529
rake1547
rip1549
unshadow1550
to lay to sight1563
uppen1565
unlace1567
unvisor?1571
resign1572
uncloak1574
disshroud1577
spill1577
reap1578
unrip1579
scour1585
unharboura1586
unmask1586
uncase1587
descrya1591
unclasp?1592
unrive1592
discover1594
unburden1594
untomb1594
unhusk1596
dismask1598
to open upc1600
untruss1600
divulge1602
unshale1606
unbrace1607
unveil1609
rave1610
disveil1611
unface1611
unsecret1612
unvizard1620
to open up1624
uncurtain1628
unscreen1628
unbare1630
disenvelop1632
unclothe1632
to lay forth1633
unshroud1633
unmuffle1637
midwife1638
dissecret1640
unseal1640
unmantle1643
to fetch out1644
undisguise1655
disvelop1658
decorticate1660
clash1667
exert1692
disinter1711
to up with1715
unbundlea1739
develop1741
disembosom1745
to open out1814
to let out1833
unsack1846
uncrown1849
to bring (out) in (also into) the open1861
unfrock1866
disbosom1868
to blow the lid off1928
flush1950
surface1955
to take or pull the wraps off1964
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or make revelations [verb (intransitive)] > reveal one's true character > one's thoughts or feelings
to open one's hearta1250
to break one's mind (heart)a1450
to show one's mind1492
to fish out the bottom of a person's stomach1537
to utter (the bottom of) one's stomach1537
to show one's true colours?1551
to come out1836
to open out1855
to come (out) in (also into) the open1861
disembosom1884
unbutton1956
to go public1957
1861 G. A. Sala Seven Sons Mammon xxiii, in Temple Bar Sept. 164 She never assumed an alias, and..she never concealed her dwelling-place. What she did was done in the open.
1870 C. Dickens Edwin Drood viii. 48 By this time they had both become savage; Mr Neville out in the open; Edwin Drood under the transparent cover of a popular tune.
1919 ‘K. Mansfield’ Let. 9 Nov. (1993) III. 81 If they don't care for what we say—it doesn't matter but let us come bang out into the open while we have the chance & say it.
1920 G. Creel War, World, & Wilson xxii. 333 Suggestions and criticism had been asked, even urged, in the hope that every objection might be brought out into the open.
1924 Glasgow Herald 27 June 8/4 It will compel..the physical force party generally to abandon their methods or to resist Mussolini's authority in the open.
1965 Listener 16 Sept. 399/2 The Peking People's Daily came out into the open, supporting Pakistan's version of events.
1976 ‘K. Royce’ Bustillo iv. 45 They both had something to hide... It would be better out in the open.
2000 Monitor (Kampala) 26 Apr. 21/3 Col. Mayombo..challenged the rebel leaders assembled to come out in the open and tell Ugandans what they could do for them.
Compounds
open-grown adj. †(a) that has been grown in the open air (obsolete); (b) Forestry (of a tree) that has grown on open ground rather than in a plantation or in closed-canopy woodland.
ΚΠ
1894 Daily News 7 Apr. 5/4 Open-grown rhubarb costs 4d. the bundle.
1930 Science 11 Apr. 387/2 The normal habit of the species is shown by the slender, few-branched forest trees, rather than by the more spreading open-grown trees.
1977 J. L. Harper Population Biol. Plants 618 Few of these forests..are more than 125 years old, though they contain open-grown individuals, 300 years old, which remain from before European settlement.
1998 New Phytologist 140 247/2 Only open-grown alders are normally infested by Agelastica alni.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
openadj.
/ˈəʊp(ə)n/, U.S. /ˈoʊp(ə)n/ I. Physical senses.† 10. Nautical †(a) Having an unobstructed view of. Also with off, on, upon, or to (obsolete). (b) Visible without obstruction; visible to one side of a previously intervening obstruction (obsolete).† 22. Cards.
1. Of a door, gate, window, etc.: having the movable part put aside so that there is access or passage through a wall, fence, etc.; not closed or blocked up; (also) unlocked. Of a doorway, gateway, passage, etc.: allowing access or view, free from obstruction; (also) not locked.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > [adjective] > unobstructed
openeOE
roomOE
cleanc1405
clear1569
rid1866
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > [adjective]
openeOE
opec1275
unshutc1384
uncloseda1398
unstoken1421
unclosec1540
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > [adjective] > of gates, doors, windows, etc.
openeOE
patent?a1475
unfolded1602
unlatched1651
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > [adjective] > open and unobstructed
openeOE
freec1230
faira1325
unstopped1398
clear1569
expedite1581
unpestered1588
accessible1602
accessive1611
rid1866
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > vowel > [adjective] > types of
openeOE
sharp?1533
simple1582
small1599
soft1625
obscurea1637
round1710
slender1755
close1760
wide1824
lowered1836
narrow1844
labialized1856
orinasal1856
central1857
reduced1861
free1864
high1867
low1867
mid1867
mixed1867
rounded1867
unrounded1871
raised1876
unreduced1894
obscured1897
spread1902
lax1909
slack1909
tense1909
centralized1926
flat1934
r-coloured1935
checked1943
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. v. 59 Þonne andydan hie þa duru þe on þa healfe open wæs.
OE Blickling Homilies 239 Hie gemetton þæs carcernes duru opene.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 15536 Heffness ȝate uss openn be. Att ure lifess ende.
a1350 (?c1225) King Horn (Harl.) (1901) 1080 (MED) Horn þe wyket puste, þat hit open fluste.
c1390 Body & Soul (Vernon) (1889) 76 (MED) Þer deþ so redi fynt dore opene, Ne may helpe no ȝeyn char.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) 453 Þenne wafte he upon his wyndowe.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 150 Þer es nane entree open in to it.
1477 W. Pecock in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 422 There arn wyndownys blow opyn in þe place.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clviijv And to set open the fludde gates of these devises.
1594 in M. Wood & R. K. Hannay Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1927) V. 115 That the baillies..caus hald the girneris durris..to be patent and oppin all tymes of the day.
1625 J. Mede Let. 17 June in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) 1st Ser. III. 196 The barge-windows, notwithstanding the vehement shower, were open.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 108 The Sluces of the Skie were open spread. View more context for this quotation
1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. i. iv. 69 The Windows..were left open on purpose.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones IV. x. ii. 10 The Door burst open . View more context for this quotation
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield xxiii. 193 As she stood one day caressing her infant son in the open window of an apartment.
1819 P. B. Shelley Julian & Maddalo 276 The ooze and wind Rushed through an open casement.
1845 G. P. R. James Arrah Neil II. iii. 39 From an open door, or unshuttered window, the lights..served also for the benefit of the passenger.
1903 H. James Ambassadors xii. xxxii. 420 The windows were all open, their redundant hangings swaying a little.
1946 New Yorker 11 May 30/2 Through the open door of the phone booth she had watched Phil sitting on a spindly stool.
1985 J. Irving Cider House Rules i. 43 He lay with his head by the open tent flap.
2004 N. Schneider Vermeer (new ed.) 49 A young woman at an open window, reading with great inner tension and attentiveness a love letter that has been addressed to her.
2.
a. Of a containing space (as a house, room, box, or drawer): having its door, lid, etc., or some part of its enclosing boundary removed, so that there is access to the interior or the contents; (of a grave, the earth, etc.) gaping.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > [adjective] > open or not enclosed
openOE
plaina1375
uncloseda1425
patent?1440
fenceless1587
ungardened1623
unenclosed1653
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > uncovering > [adjective]
bleteOE
openOE
unlapped?c1225
unweveda1250
overtc1330
discovereda1463
uncovered1530
undiscovered1542
debare1567
uncased1598
unmantled1606
naked1607
ungarbed1848
nude1866
uncapped1902
OE Blickling Homilies 239 Þin carcern open we gemetton.
OE West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) i. 51 Ge geseoð opene heofonas.
c1390 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale 170 The stierne and wrothe iuge sitte aboue, and vnder hym the horrible pit of helle open.
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Rom. iii. 13 The throte of hem is an opyn sepulcre.
a1450 in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 67 (MED) To glotoun, þe garner wyd open make.
a1475 Sidrak & Bokkus (Lansd.) (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Washington) (1965) 5661 Þe opene erþe shulde letting be, þat swoloweþ the rage of þe see.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) iv. iii. 14 Breake open the Gaoles, and let out the Prisoners. View more context for this quotation
a1682 Sir T. Browne Certain Misc. Tracts (1683) i. 45 The Ægyptian granaries were made open, the Country being free from rain.
1722 D. Defoe Moll Flanders 327 I consented to have it [sc. a trunk] be broken open.
1762 S. Scott Descr. Millenium Hall 223 Not chusing to run the hazard of breaking open the house, they sent to the old gentleman's nephew.
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 318 Keep the open end of the tube immersed.
1859 J. M. Jephson & L. Reeve Narr. Walking Tour Brittany v. 56 A pianoforte..lying open, for show, not use.
1917 E. Wharton Summer xvi. 254 There was a pause, during which the light floated uncertainly over the open grave.
a1933 J. Galsworthy End of Chapter (1934) i. xxix. 238 Lady Cherrell..was moving between open wardrobe and open chest of drawers.
1995 Arthiritis News June 4/2 A board is levered into the open drawer of a dresser, providing table space next to the bed.
b. Of the body or a part of it: pierced, cut, or broken; exposing the internal parts. Of a wound, blister, ulcer, etc.: not closed up. Cf. sense 6e.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [adjective] > wounded > qualities of wound
openOE
greenc1325
compound cystc1400
composed?1541
cursed1565
undressed1598
stale1607
untenteda1616
ripening1622
stabbed1653
indigested1676
complicated fracture1745
stanchless1820
unstanched1826
uncicatrized1839
punched out1869
toxicotraumatic1899
OE Crist III 1107 Ond eac þa ealdan wunde ond þa openan dolg on hyra dryhtne geseoð dreorigferðe.
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 101 (MED) Crep ðu in to ðine hole, in to Cristes opene side, mid ðine gode ileaue.
a1450 in R. H. Bowers Three Middle Eng. Relig. Poems (1963) 37 (MED) His blody heued, they cleued hit opon.
?1525 tr. G. Alexis Interlocucyon betwyxt Man & Woman sig. A5 Nero made open His owne mother To se the place Where that he lay.
1601 R. Verstegan Odes 64 The ireful iudge ordaynd..To tear her brests away: And to rent open both her sydes.
1673 R. Head Floating Island 16 We were so near that we could look into his very entrals, his belly being wide open.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison III. xxxi. 356 I am afraid the wound in my shoulder must be laid open again.
1799 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 2 422 Hectic fever arises only from the matter of an open ulcer.
1848 E. Bennett Trapper's Bride ix. 70 The blood was fast flowing through several open wounds.
1887 Dict. National Biogr. IX. 335/2 His head was split open with a blow.
1900 E. C. E. Lückes Gen. Nursing xi If it is desired to keep the blister ‘open’.
2001 Daily Tel. 20 June 18/3 He may need an operation in which an open wound will be left to heal naturally.
c. Of a garment or its fastenings: not done up or secured; spec. (of a garment or part of a garment, esp. sleeves) having a slit or slits, usually revealing a different cloth underneath (now historical).
ΚΠ
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl 198 (MED) Al blysnande whyt watz hir beauuiys [read beau biys], Vpon at sydez & bounden bene Wyth þe myryeste margarys.
a1500 Rule Third Order St. Francis in W. W. Seton Two 15th Cent. Franciscan Rules (1914) 49 The..bretherne also shall haue vesture clasped close, and not opyn before, as honesti requireth.
1593 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia iii. 333 Furiously he tare open his doublet.
1631 Acct. Bk. J. Doune f. 12 Ane dowblet..oppine doun back & airmes.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 82. §6 Your open Sleeves..made a much better Show than the finnikal Dress I am in.
1721 T. D'Urfey Two Queens Brentford ii. i. 35 What's he there in Buff, with a black Crape Neckcloth on, and the blue shirt, shewn with open Sleeves?
1819 W. Scott Legend of Montrose i, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. IV. 9 Her open jacket..was composed of blue cloth, richly embroidered, and had silver clasps to fasten.
1896 Monthly Packet Christmas No. 91 She..wrenched open the fastenings of her black dress, breaking two hooks and a loop.
1900 Westm. Gaz. 28 Sept. 3/2 The narrow little open sleeve, with close-fitting sleevelets.
1960 J. Barth Sot-weed Factor ii. xxvii. 410 She had exchanged her tattered Scotch cloth for sleazy satinseco, gaudily printed and open at the bosom.
1992 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Nov. 282/3 She was dressed in an open trench coat, under which could clearly be seen a black bustier.
2002 L. Baumgarten What Clothes Reveal 153/2 (caption) Worn beneath the open jacket, the sleeveless vest expands the waist size for use during pregnancy.
3.
a. Affording unrestricted access or entry (to all, or to a specified category of person, etc.).In Old English with dative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > [adjective] > affording access > accessible > to all or specified persons
openOE
accessible1957
OE Blickling Homilies 61 Se gifra helle bið a open deoflum & þæm mannum þe nu be his larum lifiaþ.
a1450 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Lamb.) (1887) i. 15235 (MED) Heuen ys open to þe redy And for wham þou askst merci.
a1513 J. Irland Meroure of Wyssdome (1926) I. 131 Thocht sche closit hire chaumere to men..jt was ay opin to God and His angellis.
1625 K. Long tr. J. Barclay Argenis i. xix. 61 What is more easie, than the next day to goe into the Church, which is open to all?
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis ii, in Wks. (1892) 272 What earth remains, what sea Is open to receive unhappy me?
1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews I. ii. viii. 218 I have always found his Kitchin, and his Cellar too, open to me. View more context for this quotation
1784 W. Cowper Let. 19 July (1981) II. 265 When Bedlam was open to the cruel curiosity of Holiday ramblers.
1816 J. Wilson City of Plague iii. i. 100 Even the house of God Was open to the Plague.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 878/1 Amoy..is one of the five ports that were opened to British commerce by the treaty of 1842; it is now open to the ships of all nations.
2000 Punch 13 Dec. 28/4 Everyone can taste his neighbour's wine and the cellars are open to all comers.
b. Of a shop, office, public house, etc.: accessible to customers (at a particular time); available for business. Usually in predicative use. they are open (British colloquial): it is a time of day when public houses are allowed to be open by the licensing laws.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [adjective] > relating to shop > open to customers
opena1500
OE tr. Apollonius of Tyre (1958) xiii. 20 Gehyre ge ceasterwaran, gehyre ge ælðeodige,..se bæðstede is open.
1400 Inquisition Misc. (P.R.O.: C 145/275/30) Thomas Cuddemour..seide in the town of dertemouth in open tauerne..that y haue be with the forseid Erl of huntyngdon and am with him.
1498 in G. Neilson & H. Paton Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1918) II. 119 The Lords ordanis..that the chancellary be opin and that brevis of divisione be gevin thame.
a1500 (?c1425) Speculum Sacerdotale (1936) 248 (MED) He yede his way, leuynge the schoppe open, as he hadde leuyd there-in many kepers.
1548 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1871) II. 142 That na maner of persoun hald oppin tavern bot [etc.].
1622 G. de Malynes Consuetudo 92 A Merchants ware-house is taken to be publicke and open at the appointed times.
1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 216 But when they came within the city..the markets and shops were open.
1790 B. Franklin Autobiogr. (1987) 1428 In waiting thro' the Strand and Fleet street one morning at 7 aClock I observ'd there was not one shop open tho' it had been Day-light & the sun up above three hours.
1824 E. Weeton Let. 8 June in Jrnl. of Governess (1969) II. 287 As I go to any place of Worship, fruit stalls are in the road, and confectioners shops open, as on any other day.
1898 H. G. Wells War of Worlds ii. ix. 291 In places even there were shops open, and I saw a drinking fountain running water.
1942 ‘S. Campion’ Bonanza 19 It was eleven—‘they’ were open.
1965 J. Porter Dover Three ii. 30 Just one question, laddie... Are they open yet?
2001 A. Wheatle East of Acre Lane 256 The record shops were still open.
c. In early use: of, relating to or designating a state of imprisonment in which a certain degree of freedom of movement or access to visitors is allowed (now historical). In later use: designating a prison or other institution with minimal restriction on the movements or activities of inmates.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > imprisonment > [adjective] > relating to imprisonment and reformation
opena1538
imprisonablea1642
penitentiary1779
custodial1907
society > authority > punishment > imprisonment > prison > [adjective] > open or minimum-security
minimum-security1933
open1935
a1538 A. Abell Roit or Quheill of Tyme f. 65v, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Opin Quharfore the nobilis tuke him..and put him in oppin presone.
1570 M. Parker Corr. (1853) (modernized text) cclxxvii. 364 Before Easter I gave him liberty to be an open prisoner in the King's Bench, where before he was a close prisoner.
1679 Kirkcudbright Town Council Rec. 12 Nov. in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue (1983) V. 90/1 Johne McJoar..quha hath friedome of open prison.
1829 R. Burns Hist. Sufferings Church of Scotl. III. iii. 124/2 In this open prison their case was lamentable enough.
1894 A. Griffiths Secrets Prison-house II. vii. i. 459 They were transferred to an open prison at home or in the colonies, to be there employed on some works of public utility.
1935 W. Thorp in H. Craig Ess. Dramatic Lit. 376 The Council..granted him (December 16, 1690) open prison and the privilege of the attendance of his own physicians and surgeons.
1946 Rep. Commissioners of Prisons 1939–41 47 in Parl. Papers 1945–6 (Cmd. 6820) XIV. 281 All were now required to pass straight from the restraint of a prison wall to associated life in buildings designed as a perfectly open Borstal.
1953 H. Carruth Bloomingdale Papers in Coll. Shorter Poems (1992) 126 Hall Two is the ‘open’ hall; inmates there are given the freedom of the grounds..and may receive ‘passes’ on weekends.
1964 J. M. Argyle Psychol. & Social Probl. v. 69 Open borstals had a higher success rate than closed borstals.
2001 Daily Tel. 20 July 2/2 A first-time offender..can expect to be classed as category D, making him eligible for an open prison.
d. Originally and chiefly U.S. Of a town, city, etc.: imposing little restriction on drinking, gambling, etc. Cf. earlier wide open adj. 6.See also open city n. at Compounds 3.
ΚΠ
1901 ‘J. Flynt’ World of Graft 11 The City Hall gang went into office on the promise that the town was to be open, an' they've kept it open.
1915 Amer. Mag. Sept. 51/2 On an ‘open town’ platform Gill was elected mayor in March, 1910.
1946 Reader's Digest July 96/2 Amarillo is the most open open-town in the country.
1993 R. Murphy Smash & Grab viii. 92/1 Leeds operated as a sort of ‘open city’ during the war years, a haven for deserters, a paradise for gamblers, a headquarters for racketeers.
2009 B. Levy Town Born Introd. 12 Scituate began as a totally open town with weak institutions, but developed into an almost iconic closed New England town.
4.
a. Of a space or area: not surrounded by walls, fences, etc., not confined; to which there is ready access or passage from all or nearly all sides.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > [adjective] > affording access > accessible > on all sides
openeOE
patent?1440
eOE (Kentish) Glosses to Proverbs of Solomon (Vesp. D.vi) in U. Kalbhen Kentische Glossen (2003) 152 Urbs patens : open burh.
c1330 (?c1300) St. Patrick's Purgatory (Auch.) in Englische Studien (1877) 1 101 Þe halle was ful selly diȝt..Þe pilers stode wide. Þe kniȝt wonderd, þat he fond Swiche an halle in þat lond And open in ich side.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 110 For comon þe folk it wan, wod open & forest.
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene vi. ix. sig. Gg3 From thence into the open fields he fled. View more context for this quotation
1622 F. Bacon Hist. Raigne Henry VII 332 The fields then being open and champain.
1659 R. Lovell Παμβοτανολογια 314 On sandy bankes, in open untilled places.
1704 London Gaz. No. 3991/2 The Enemy..sent a strong Party into an open Village.
1745 P. Thomas True Jrnl. Voy. South-Seas 20 A vast open Ocean.
1789 Times 28 June 4/4 The House is open and airy backwards.
1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. iv. 429 He was obliged to abandon the open country, and to depend upon his forts.
1885 Law Rep.: Queen's Bench Div. 14 918 The footpath ran over an open moor.
1925 J. Conrad Suspense i. i. 1 The open water, too, had a glassy look.
1958 J. Thirsk & J. Imray Suffolk Farming 19th Cent. 31 The existence of Suffolk's many ‘open’ villages had significant consequences for the agricultural labourer.
1986 A. Harding Also Georgiana (1988) ii. 92 City gave way to open country as we travelled north.
2007 R. Lovegrove Silent Fields: Long Decline Nation's Wildlife ii. 40 In the pre-enclosure era, the huge open fields around the nucleated villages..supported a rotation of arable crops, fallows, and meadowland.
b. Of a battle, war, etc.: fought in the open without concealment; (hence) fought with full forces.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed encounter > [adjective] > types of armed encounter
openeOE
set battle1487
unbloody1544
pight1562
pitched1569
round1601
steadfast1623
strucka1625
running1651
stationary1737
stricken field1820
close quarters1871
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xxxiii. 229 He hine ær openum gefeohte ofercome.
c1385 G. Chaucer Knight's Tale 2002 Ther say I first the derke ymagynynge Of felonye..The tresoun of the mordryng in the bed, The open werre with woundes al bibled.
c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) 12871 (MED) With opyn batell wende wyll I and dyng hym doun for all his dyn.
a1500 tr. A. Chartier Traité de l'Esperance (Sion Coll. London) 34 (MED) Yet notwithstondyng at that tyme the opyn werre was not reysed ayenst hym.
1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. xvii. xi. 94 Better fitted for brigandize than open fight in the field.
1683–6 tr. Plutarch Lives (1864) xxx He..beat them in open fight, and destroyed many of their places of strength.
1706 M. Prior Ode to Queen 206 We our forts and lines forsake, To dare our British foes to open fight.
1765 T. Smollett Hist. Eng. (1804) V. 263 Generally speaking, their parties declined an open engagement.
1829 N. Amer. Rev. Jan. 239 The remains of General Fraser, who fell like a hero in open battle,..still lie without the slightest memorial.
1866 C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake I. xix. 349 What men they could afford him, in case of open battle.
1911 J. M. Barrie Peter & Wendy iv. 70 If we meet Hook in open fight, you must leave him to me.
2000 E. J. Hess Banners to Breeze ii. 36 His veterans..could handle anything that might lie in their path as long as it was an open fight on a battlefield.
c. U.S. Sport. Of a player: unmarked or unguarded by a member of the opposing team; to find (also hit, etc.) the open man: to pass the ball to such a player.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > player or sportsperson > [adjective] > other attributes
scienced1818
starting1855
international1866
all-American1887
unmarked1890
fouled1898
muckerish1900
power1932
playmaking1933
open1937
wild card1940
wide-body1986
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > play team ball games [verb (intransitive)] > pass > to player in specific position
to find (also hit, etc.) the open man1937
1937 F. C. Allen Better Basketball xxi. 321 This player is now in [a] favorable position to pass to an open man.
1947 D. X. Bible Championship Football v. 53 Getting Open. Before catching a pass, the receiver must get..away from the defenders.
1974 State (Columbia, S. Carolina) 15 Feb. 2 b/4 We're passing the ball better, hitting the open man now.
2000 N.Y. Times 9 May d4/2 Unlike the Raptors series, though, Sprewell did not make Miami pay by finding..the open man with passes.
5.
a. Not covered over or covered in; having no roof, lid, top, etc.; with the uppermost part exposed; (of a vehicle) = open-top adj. and n. at Compounds 3; (of a boat or other vessel) = undecked adj. 2. Now only attributive.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [adjective] > roof
openOE
open-top1771
open-topped1849
targa roof1976
OE Blickling Homilies 125 Seo myccle cirice..is ufan open & unoferhrefed.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 331v Patella, þe panne, as it were, an open crokke.
c1450 (c1370) G. Chaucer A.B.C. 177 Zacharie yow clepeth the open [v.rr. opene, opne] welle, To wasshe sinful soule out of his gilt.
a1513 J. Irland Meroure of Wyssdome (1926) I. 154 Sche is the schip closit benethe and opin aboue.
1610 in J. D. Marwick Rec. Convent. Royal Burghs Scotl. (1870) II. 303 Ilk oppin bott.
1686 P. Gordon Diary 17 Mar. (1859) 120 I..climmed up into a great open waggon, wich was something uneasy for us.
1720 London Gaz. No. 5898/7 Four Hundred open Boats.
1756 C. Lucas Ess. Waters i. 145 They let the water stand in a large open bason.
1797 Lady Newdigate Let. 30 July in A. E. Newdigate-Newdegate Cheverels (1898) xiv. 200 I have never felt ye Downs too hot for my open Carriage till yesterday.
1803 A. Duncan Mariner's Chron. IV. 255 The poor fellow and his dumb companion, in an open boat, were left to the mercy of this immense ocean.
1878 Act 41 & 42 Victoria c. 14 §5 No covered or open swimming-bath when closed may be used for music or dancing.
1907 W. O. Lillibridge Where Trail Divides 269 Upon the scene..appeared a traveller in an open road waggon.
1948 M. Laski Tory Heaven ix. 123 An open car..ceases to be a source of pure pleasure after a certain age.
1987 M. Das Cyclones xxvi. 151 Sudhir was hurled aboard an open truck.
2007 MotorBoating Mag. July 54 This type of inflatable [life jacket]..is a great choice for those of us who spend a lot of time fishing in open boats.
b. attributive. Of a fire or fireplace: not enclosed in a stove, flue, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > burning > a fire > [adjective] > not enclosed in a stove
open1590
1590 J. Hester tr. J. Du Chesne Sclopotarie 91 Then reverberate it with an open fire.
1658 Sir T. Browne Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall iii. 43 How slender a masse will remain upon an open and urging fire of the carnall composition.
a1700 Alchemical MSS (Royal Coll. Physicians, Edinb.) in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue v, at Opin Distill it be ane open fyre.
1766 Museum Rusticum 6 299 They [sc. two caldrons] may be set in the open fire, without any flew or worm round them, in an oven-like furnace.
1818 J. Palmer Jrnl. Trav. U.S. 15 In the best room some have an iron fireplace..called a Franklin; these look very neat, and will much sooner heat a room than the open fire-place.
1894 Country Gentlemen's Catal. 117/1 The Nautilus dog grate... A cheerful open fire.
1931 E. O'Neill Homecoming ii, in Mourning becomes Electra (1932) 51 At rear, centre, is an open fireplace.
2002 Wanderlust Feb. 90/3 You can test your outdoor cooking skills over an open fire behind a lye-bush screen.
6. † b. with (an) open face: with an uncovered face, esp. one suggesting candour, sincerity, or simplicity of character (cf. openness n. 2a); (hence) confidently, frankly; directly; (also) shamelessly, brazenly. Obsolete.
a. Not concealed or protected by a covering; bare; exposed to the weather, etc.See also wide open adj. 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > uncovering > [adjective] > uncovered or exposed
openOE
unwrye?c1225
naked1601
unbare1624
exposed1630
detected1654
detect1661
unbareda1665
shelterless1714
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > [adjective] > exposed to danger > vulnerable > unsheltered or exposed
openOE
discovertc1380
subject1490
uncovered1530
unsheltered1599
uncanopied1613
exposed1691
unshielded1700
unembowered1814
OE Beowulf 2271 Hordwynne fond eald uhtsceaða opene standan.
a1300 Serm. (Cleo.) in Anglia (1918) 42 104 Opin brest & singing..airn toknes of horeling.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. 3963 With open hed and fot al bare.
1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) xxi. xii. sig. eev Euer his vysage was layed open & naked.
?1558 T. Hill Most Briefe Treat. Garden iii. sig. Biiii Thei let those furrowes so lie al the winter open and vncouered.
1599 in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 264 The wynde blowed marvalus strongly & made a greate noyse, for ye house Lay verrie open to ye sea & wether.
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies v. viii. 348 When any one dyed, they layd him open in a chamber, vntill that all his kinsfolkes and friends were come.
1664 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense 61 in Sylva Sow Alaternus seeds in Cases, or open beds.
1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure I. 49 He tears off my neck-handkerchief, and laid all open there to his eyes.
1783 J. Logan Runnamede v. 86 To the field of battle straight I go, From which, if steel can pierce an open breast, I never shall return.
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. 309 Upper Jaws..Open, when they are not quite concealed by the upper lip.
1885 R. C. Trench Poems I. 73 Memorials..lying open to the sun and showers, And only visited at intervals.
1968 Gloss. Terms Offset Lithogr. Printing (B.S.I.) 12 Open arc, an arc lamp in which the electrodes burn in free air.
1984 Gardening from Which? Sept. 4/1 Cuttings will root very quickly in cold frames, or even in the open ground.
2012 S. Burt Weather Observer's Handbk. vi. 130 To achieve a representative precipitation measurement, the ideal site should be open to the weather.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > unaffectedness or naturalness > without affectation [phrase] > in a straightforward or frank manner
with (an) open facea1425
up and down1854
society > communication > manifestation > manifestness > openness or unconcealedness > openly [phrase]
not to (or at) laina1375
with (an) open facea1425
to (one's) teeth1542
to wash one's dirty linen at home, in public1867
the mind > emotion > pride > impudence > [adverb] > shamelessly
shamelesslyc897
unshamefastly1382
unshamefullyc1400
unshamelyc1480
shamelessa1541
blushlessly1604
frontlessly1618
brazen-facedly1624
with (an) open face1653
barefacedly1684
brazenly1714
unblushingly1752
coolly1844
blatantly1851
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) 2 Cor. iii. 18 We that with open [L. revelata] face seen the glorie of the Lord.
1474 W. Caxton tr. Game & Playe of Chesse (1883) ii. iii. 42 We may goon with opon face and good conscience.
1565 A. Golding in tr. Ovid Fyrst Fower Bks. Metamorphosis To Rdr. sig. *iijv As Persian kynges did neuer go abrode with open face, But with some lawne or silken skarf.
1653 tr. S. Przypkowski Dissertatio de Pace xii. 59 Men..who..did..with open face, as they say, vent blasphemies and impieties.
1678 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 220 The reflections of the Sun upon the City..was so extreamly glorious, that they could not, as yet, with open face behold it.
1700 J. Dryden tr. Ovid Baucis & Philemon 118 But the kind hosts their entertainment grace, With hearty welcome, and an open face.
1761 R. Lloyd Epist. to C. Churchill 1 Critics of old, a manly liberal Race, Approv'd or censur'd with an open Face.
1838 N. Amer. Rev. July 235 Those verses repeated, copied, smuggled,..evade all persecutions, until they appear with open face, in full daylight, secure in the patronage of popular enthusiasm.
1885 G. Meredith Diana of Crossways I. iv. 103 The burden of the task of meeting Emma with an open face, crushed her like very guilt.
1908 L. Wallace Ben-Hur iv. viii. 219 In violent contravention of the custom among women of rank in public..she looked at them with an open face.
1928 L. Binyon Hell x, in Dante 12 I vowed to bring down Florence to the dust. I only with open face defended her.
c. in open sight: in full view, in plain sight.
ΚΠ
?a1430 Compleynte Virgin (Huntington) l. 136 in Minor Poems T. Hoccleve (1970) i. 4 Why souffrest thow him, in the open sighte Of the folk heere, vnkeuered abyde?
1850 N. Hawthorne Scarlet Let. iii. 72 Making one little pause, with all its wreathed intervolutions in open sight.
1937 O. Eisenschiml Why was Lincoln Murdered? x. 101 He may have meant the arrangements made by General Slough, who by that time presumably had his patrols in open sight on the right bank of the Potomac, opposite Piscataway.
2002 Pittsburgh Post-Gaz. (Nexis) 13 Sept. d4 Do not leave papers showing personal financial information in open sight on your desk in the office.
d. Of a telephone line or other transmission line: above ground.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > [adjective] > types of line
overhouse1859
open1876
quad1931
1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 158 Telegraph lines are..1st. Those in which open, that is overground, wires are employed.
1925 Bell Syst. Techn. Jrnl. 4 524 Practically all long toll circuits were in open wire construction; that is, individual wires mounted..on poles.
1995 Transmission & Distribution 47 20 Five substations in the area are served by a 23 kV feed from two aerial, open-wire circuits.
e. Medicine. Of an injury (esp. a fracture) or a surgical operation: involving the exposure of an internal part of the body. Cf. sense 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > [adjective] > types of surgery generally
minor1825
exploratory1828
plastic1837
electrosurgical1870
Listerian1880
open1894
neurosurgical1918
micro-operative1922
cosmetic1926
microsurgical1927
radiosurgical1928
atraumatic1934
psychosurgical1946
cryosurgical1962
1894 J. C. DaCosta Man. Mod. Surg. xviii. 307 Compound fracture is an open fracture, or one in which an open wound admits air to the seat of bone-injury.
1897 L. A. Stimson & J. Rogers Man. Operative Surg. (ed. 3) v. 257 (heading) Suture of the patella. I. Open Method.
1949 P. Kiely Text-bk. Surg. xxvi. 700 Injuries to the Bowel. These may be subcutaneous or open.
1969 F. T. Hoagland in S. I. Schwartz Princ. Surg. xlvi. 1658/2 Open reduction [of a fracture] carries the risk of local infection.
1993 Brit. Jrnl. Surg. 80 24/1 There were no operative problems due to excessive bleeding, even after open fasciotomy.
2001 N. Jones Rough Guide Trav. Health ii. 414 For open, or compound, fractures, cover the area with a sterile dressing to minimize the risk of infection.
f. Medicine. Of (a case of) tuberculosis: infectious; producing infectious sputum.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > diseases of tissue > wasting disease > [adjective] > relating to tuberculosis > qualities of
open1921
1921 Sci. Monthly Apr. 817 To diminish infection from open cases of tuberculosis..now forms the chief means for reducing the mischief done by this great enemy of mankind.
1939 Brit. Encycl. Med. Pract. 12 288 The rapid decline in the number of open cases of tuberculosis..have reduced the sources of infection.
1974 R. Passmore & J. S. Robson Compan. Med. Stud. III. i. xiv. 2/2 Occasionally outbreaks have occurred in young tuberculin-negative adults who have been heavily exposed to open cases [of tuberculosis].
2001 Internat. Jrnl. Tuberculosis & Lung Dis. 5 703 The proportion of open tuberculosis in this study was high, with 204 prisoners..having smear-positive tuberculosis.
7.
a. Of the mouth: having the lips parted; not closed. Also figurative, with the implication (in early use) of talkativeness, or (in later use) of wonderment, surprise, or incomprehension. †with open mouth: aloud, talkatively; (hence) loudly in pursuit (cf. open-mouthed adj. 2a) (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > feeling of wonder, astonishment > [adjective] > open-mouthed
with open mouth1548
open-mouthed?1606
slack-jawed1642
slack-mouthed1642
OE Leechbk. Fragm. (Harl.) (1865) ii. lix. 284 He þonne ontyndum eagum & opene muþe þane rec swelge.
a1200 (?OE) MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 191 Te muð..open beoð to spekende mis.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 267v Suche serpentes..liggeþ in awayte for hem þat slepeþ, and if þey fyndeþ þe mouþ opene of hem..þanne þey crepeþ In.
a1475 Revelations St. Birgitta (Garrett) (1929) 46 Hysmowth was open and his tonge drawe owte.
a1500 (a1400) Ipomedon (Chetham) (1889) 625 Hornys blewe and houndus ranne With oppyn mowthe full mery than..A noble noye it was to here.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clxix With open mouthes and fierce corages, thei came to Quene Margaret.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) iv. ii. 196 I saw a Smith..With open mouth swallowing a Taylors newes. View more context for this quotation
1651 T. Hobbes De Cive Ded. Telesinus..fying about with open mouth through all the Companies of his Army..cryed out, That Rome her selfe..was to be raz'd.
1684 B. Keach Progress Sin xii. 224 They cry'd out against him with open Mouth, calling him a vile and cursed Traytor.
1766 H. Brooke Fool of Quality I. v. 183 The guests..sat, some time, with open mouth, and unswallowed victuals.
1782 F. Douglas Birth-day i. 18 He spies a hag in Lambeth-lane, With open mouth, gives chase, and cries, ‘Holloa the witch!’
1843 E. A. Poe Purloined Let. in Gift 1845 50 For some minutes he remained speechless.., looking incredulously at my friend with open mouth.
1876 M. Twain Tom Sawyer xii Tom pried his mouth open and poured down the Pain-killer.
1936 F. Clune Roaming round Darling ix. 78 Half a score of Dubboites..waited with suspense and open mouths.
1968 K. Bird Smash Glass Image iv. 50 A stream of wine..curved through the air..into his open mouth.
2001 M. Blake 24 Karat Schmooze xvi. 177 He reeled and listed about the floor, mouth open in feigned amazement.
b. Of the voice, etc.: audible, loud and clear; raised so as to be heard in public. Cf. with open mouth at sense 7a.
ΚΠ
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) i. ix. 70 He..gearn to cyrican & astrehte hine sylfne on gebede & mid openum stefnum he cwæð.
c1390 (?c1350) Virgin of Antioch 464 in C. Horstmann Sammlung Altengl. Legenden (1878) 33 (MED) I þe telle wiþ open breþ, Mi membres suffisen to þe deþ.
a1450 St. Katherine (Richardson 44) (1884) 56 Many of þe puple..seynge þe greet meruayles of god..and wyth open voys crye and say, ‘Treuly greet ys þe god of cristen men.’
1485 Device Coronation Henry VII in W. Jerdan Rutland Papers (1842) 16 My lord Cardinall..shall syng with open voice iij tymes Vt presentem famulum tuum.
a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 253 (MED) Thenne saide his lady, with an opyn voyse, ‘sir, my lorde, what shull we do withe suster of the Emperoure?’
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 164 The birdis did with oppin vocis cry.
1562 in A. J. Mill Mediaeval Plays in Scotl. (1927) 152 For the passing throw the newis of the toun with the hand bell be oppin voce to convene the haill communite.
1640 J. Gough Strange Discov. v. iv. l. 19 Arsace..presently declar'd Before the people with an open voice That we were witches.
1685 W. Clark Grand Tryal ii. xiii. 89 With open voice, At Heavens Gates made a tumultuous noise.
1700 J. Anderson Black Bk. (1843) 130 He is accused as..a theif by open voice and common fame.
a1772 E. Swedenborg Misc. Theol. Wks. (1871) 344 The Lord..declared with open voice that it was He Himself whom they had seen.
1846 New Englander (New Haven, Connecticut) Apr. 244/1 He retires to his chamber, to curse with open voice this system of fanatical deceit.
1910 J. A. Symonds tr. B. Cellini Autobiogr. i. 239 The same clear and open voice said to me: ‘Go to rest.’
1936 Internat. Jrnl. Ethics 46 169 The ‘Corporate State’..allows no open voice against itself.
1992 R. Colker Abortion & Dialogue i. i. 16 Some might say that an open voice is inappropriate for the courtroom.
2009 K. DeVore & S. Cookman Voice Bk. xi. 165 An open voice comes from literally opening the pathway for voice and supporting the sound with breath.
c. Of an eye: having the eyelid raised, as when a person is awake; not closed; seeing, watching. Also figurative, with the implication either of attentiveness or of surprise (cf. to make a person open his (or her) eyes at open v. 3b); with eyes (wide) open and variants: fully aware of the risks and other implications of an action or situation.to keep one's eyes open: see eye n.1 Phrases 2j.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > types of vision > [adjective] > having watchful eyes > of eyes: watchful
openeOE
lidless1796
lidless-eyed1818
eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iv. xxiv. 340 Þa geseah heo openum eagum.
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxviii. 251 Efne þes sunderhalga þe we ær ymbe spræcon., hæfde opene eagan to forhæfednysse.
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 53 (MED) Vre egen ben eure opene to biholde ure helende.
c1387–95 G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. 10 And smale foweles maken melodye That slepen al the nyght with open eye.
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl 183 (MED) I stod ful stylle..Wyth yȝen open and mouth ful clos.
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 256 (MED) Þou alonelie is he þat hase had in me þine een oppyn & sene me.
a1500 Gospel of Nicodemus (Harl. 149) (1974) 17 (MED) Oure meeke Lorde Jhesu lyft open the yghen of the hertes of appostlys.
1572 T. Churchyard tr. Ovid Thre First Bookes De Tristibus ii. f. 14 Wyth open eyes here to discusse, our idle earthly ioyes.
1609 T. Dekker Ravevens Almanacke 10 You shall cleerelye, and with an open eye beholde all the parts, which I..act amongst the Starres.
1663 R. Stapleton Slighted Maid iv. 57 Now with open eyes I see my folly.
1713 G. Berkeley Three Dialogues Hylas & Philonous i. 47 Directing your open Eyes toward yonder Part of the Heaven.
1813 J. Austen Pride & Prejudice II. xv. 183 But she had chosen it with her eyes open . View more context for this quotation
1843 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) vi. 71 ‘By your father?’ enquired Mr. Pinch, with open eyes.
1935 W. Faulkner Pylon 112 The parachute jumper..might have been asleep save for his open eyes.
1971 K. Awoonor This Earth, my Brother ii. 22 Now, let's have a drink, said Row, who could hardly keep his eyes open.
1991 O. Chadwick Michael Rasay (BNC) 24 He cared about the intellectual question in religious life. He looked at the difficulties, with open eyes.
d. Of the nostrils: widened, dilated; not blocked. Of the nose: not blocked; having wide or dilated nostrils.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > expansion or enlargement > [adjective] > expanded or enlarged
openOE
outlargeda1425
dilatedc1450
dilate1471
project?a1475
ampliated1570
enlarged1599
widened1612
extended1713
expanded1742
broadened1744
dilatate1846
larged?a1919
upsized1977
OE Paris Psalter (1932) cxiii. 14 Earan habbað swylce and opene nose.
a1200 (?OE) MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 191 Te nose..beoð open to snuuende unluuede breð.
c1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Vesp. B.xii) (1904) 58 A rennyng hounde shuld..have greet nosethrelles and open.
1593 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia iii. 290 His horse..with open nostrels breathed warre.
1654 R. Aylett Divine & Moral Speculations 226 He sooner is with noisome smels infected, Who them with open nose doth entertain; Then he that stops it.
1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 143 The spaniel..with open nose, Out-stretch'd, and finely sensible, draws full..on the latent prey.
1867 W. S. Gilbert Harlequin Cock-Robin & Jenny Wren xi. 22 So perish all who brave Miasma's will: My noxious fumes their open nostrils fill.
1974 C. Forbes Blue Monday II. 25 My nose raw and open wide as Fifth Avenue.
2002 Sunday Tel. (Sydney) (Nexis) 1 June Naturally large and open nostrils indicate strong lungs.
e. Of the ears: listening, attentive, receptive. with open ears: attentively. to lend (also give) (an) open ear and variants: to give one's full attention, esp. with the implication of receptiveness or open-mindedness.
ΚΠ
c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (1973) 1128 (MED) Alle þe oðere hercneden mid swiðe open earen.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 257 Me ssel habbe þe earen opene uor to hyere bleþeliche þe guode wordes.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VII f. xiiv To geue open eare to his request.
a1582 J. Harington Boy that should content me Wondrous Well in Wks. (1971) ii. 114 An open ear to good enstructions bound.
c1601 Teares our Sauiour in Garden in Song Mary Mother of Christ 26 Father, regard my suite with open eares.
1709 R. Gould To Right Reverend Father in God Gilbert, Bishop of Sarum in Wks. I. 95 Heav'ns Ear is open when good Princes kneel.
1794 T. Holcroft Adventures Hugh Trevor II. vi. 80 I still had an open ear for vanity, which was not a little tickled by the frequent terms of applause and admiration.
1833 C. Williams Fall River viii. 184 A great crowd..who were listening with open ears and gaping mouths.
1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset I. vii. 51 Then he went to Barchester; not open-mouthed with inquiry, but rather with open ears.
1994 Jrnl. Politics 56 1151 An umpire government ostensibly giving open ear to all organizing group interests.
2002 Newsday (Electronic ed.) 17 May We have to lend an open ear to large groups of people, such as the PTAs.
8.
a. Of a way or route: easily traversable, free from obstructions or danger. Occasionally (in early use) †of movement or ingress: free, unimpeded (obsolete). Also figurative.See also open road n. and adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > [adjective] > feasible
openOE
possiblec1384
doablec1443
feasiblec1460
agible?a1475
performable1548
parable1563
practiceable1570
compassable1581
factible1585
effectuable1590
practicable1593
exploitable1611
achievable1634
effectible1646
operable1646
accomplishable1657
perpetrable1680
workable1756
executable1796
expeditable1820
workable1822
powerable1860
runnable1860
manageable1866
actable1876
viable1955
OE Homily (Hatton 114) in J. Bazire & J. E. Cross Eleven Old Eng. Rogationtide Homilies (1989) 112 He..us opene gedyde þone weg to heofona rice.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 14863 Þe sæ wass þær. Dun till þe grund to worrpenn. Swa þatt teȝȝ o þe driȝȝe grund. Wel sæȝhenn openn weȝȝe.
c1400 Bk. to Mother (Bodl.) 11 (MED) Crist..wiþ his liuinge and his techinge is an opene wei to heuene.
a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) f. 107v Þe wal cleue & falleþ doun, & þanne haueþ the enemyes opoun entre to take þe citee.
?1585 W. C. Aduentures Ladie Egenia sig. 3 An open passage for the forraine enemy to enter in.
1598 G. Chapman tr. Homer Seauen Bks. Iliades v. 76 If thy mind mooue thee to be gone, the way is open, go.
1726 J. Barker Lining of Patch-work Screen 193 I walk'd on in the open Path of Pleasure, and ascended the highest Pinacle of Pride.
1759 S. Johnson Rasselas I. xiv. 100 He informed his sister that the way was open, and that nothing now remained but to prepare for their departure.
1867 ‘Ouida’ Under Two Flags III. vii. 153 The little throng of riding-horses, grooms, and attendants..made an open way through the polyglot crowd of Algerian caravansarai.
1901 R. W. Rogers Hist. Babylonia & Assyria vi. 145 Shalmaueser had now an open way to the city of Samaria.
1990 D. Dunn Andromache iv. iii. 61 His recklessness shows you an open path That paves your way to an avenging death.
b. Of land, an expanse of ground, etc.: free from anything which might hinder travel over it or seeing across it; clear. Of a view: free from obstructions.Cf. open space n.
ΚΠ
a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) f. 107v (MED) Holde þe in a playn place and in euene feeld, þe whiche is opoun [L. patentia] and noȝt cumbred ne letted wiþ schrobbes ne wodes.
a1500 Piers of Fulham (James) in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1866) II. 12 There mayste thow saffely..A byde for any wynde that can blowe: Hyt ys an opyn havyn.
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xiv. 245 He is made to come forth into an opener place, where he may haue what to see and behold.
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World ii. 161 The Country was all open, with very little Wood, and no Trees.
1809 E. A. Kendall Trav. Northern Parts U.S. III. lxxii. 129 The road..is over very rocky land, recently laid open by burning the trees.
1904 J. Conrad Nostromo i. i. 5 The open view of the great Sulaco plain.
1992 Harpers & Queen Nov. 187/3 Jackson's Hole's skiing is high, wide and handsome, but the density of lifts and marked trials is thin: much of the mountain is open ground.
c. Of a river, sea, etc.: not frozen over, free of ice.
ΚΠ
1681 London Gaz. No. 1587/2 The Empress and her Court will remain till the River be open, so that she may go by Water.
1771 Philos. Trans. 1770 (Royal Soc.) 60 111 Some of their ships have formerly been driven by the ice into this inlet, where they found a fine open sea.
1847 J. H. Ingraham Ringold Griffitt xiii. 54 They floated down the river..rowing where the water was open and free from ice.
1916 Geogr. Rev. 1 129 The river begins freezing in October, but it is hoped to keep the White Sea open a month or two later.
1977 A. Russell Adventures with Wild Animals 142 Except where the ponds were kept open by big springs or fast water the ice and snow that covered them was marked by the distinctive trails of the otters.
2007 L. Burnham Rivers x. 150 Arctic communities..deploy icebreakers to keep the river channels open for boat traffic.
9.
a. With the outer edges or sides drawn away from each other; expanded, spread out; unfurled; spec. (of a book) having the covers parted so that it may be read (cf. open book n.); (of a bed) with the covers drawn back; (of a hand) with the fingers spread, not clenched into a fist.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > [adjective] > spread out
openc1350
expanded?a1475
spread?c1510
splayeda1547
bredea1550
extended1552
spreaded1567
displayed1578
well-spread1600
outspreada1618
spreaden1620
expansed1628
extent1633
spread-out1644
explicate1661
expatiated1681
patulous1682
expatiate1702
sheeted1797
a-spread1879
c1350 Apocalypse St. John: A Version (Harl. 874) (1961) 74 (MED) His face was as þe sonne & his feet as pilers of fijr, & in his honde a book open.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 1681 Brode roses and open also Ben passed in a day or two.
1508 Bk. Keruynge (de Worde) sig. B.iiv All maner of fowles hauynge open clawes as a capon.
1578 H. Wotton tr. J. Yver Courtlie Controuersie 253 A Butterflie..remayneth in the open hande without power to flee any more.
1677 N. Grew Disc. Colours Plants i. §15 The larger Buds are purple or murrey, and the open Flowers, blew.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 409/1 The City of Oxford beareth Azure, a Book open, proper; with seven Seals between three Crowns Or.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones V. xiii. v. 39 My best Hoyle..lying open on the Table, with a Quantity of Porter spilt on one of the most material Leaves.
1792 R. Bage Man as he Is I. ii. 24 I could find plenty of friends with..hands open to receive..the common currency of coffee-houses and taverns.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. x. 267 A priest..held open the service book.
1866 A. Trollope Belton Estate I. ii. 34 Having an open letter in his hand.
1904 J. London Sea-wolf i. 2 I had noticed with greedy eyes a stout gentleman reading the Atlantic, which was open at my very essay.
2000 K. Atkinson Emotionally Weird (2001) 151 The bedroom curtains were open.
b. Of the arms: spread out, as though to embrace someone. Frequently in with open arms (occasionally arm); (in extended use) cordially, welcomingly; with affection or enthusiasm.
ΚΠ
1566 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure I. xxxvi. f. 77v With her armes open to imbrace hym.
1576 G. Pettie Petite Pallace 93 b Icilius..with open armes reached to imbrace her.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. iii. 8 The people..being..ready with open armes to receive the encroachments of Error. View more context for this quotation
1670 J. Milton Hist. Brit. i. 26 Elidure..runns to him with open Arms; and after many dear and sincere welcomings, convaies him to the Citty Alclud.
1734 A. Pope Epist. to Arbuthnot 142 And St. John's self..With open arms receiv'd one Poet more.
1849 tr. A. Hamilton Fairy Tales She instantly flew towards him with open arms.
1874 C. Kingsley Lett. (1878) II. 427 We are received with open arms, and heaped with hospitality.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xv. [Circe] 490 The virgins,..burst through the ringkeepers and the ropes and mob him with open arms.
1981 Peace News 11 Dec. 3/2 Unemployment is terrible round here and people welcome this firm with open arms.
1992 V. Headley Yardie 20 Her face broke into a wide smile. ‘Lord! D., is you fe true?’ she exclaimed, stepping towards him, arms open.
c. Originally and chiefly in Dance (also in Martial Arts, Yoga, etc.). Of one or both of a performer's arms, legs, etc.: moved or placed away from the body or from each other. Of the position of the arms, legs, etc.: away from the body.
ΚΠ
1910 C. d'Albert tr. G. Costa in Dance Jrnl. July 5 Pas de bourrée ouvert en avant. (Pas de Bourrée open forward).
1913 C. D'Albert Dancing: Techn. Encycl. v. at Cambré, pas The points are inward, the feet in the form of an arch, toes nearly touching in front, heels open in the rear.
1914 C. D'Albert Dancing: Techn. Encycl. (new ed.) 110 Ouvert, any movement in which the legs are open sideways to right or left.
1950 S. Thompson Old Time Dancing i. 18 Dégagé, for instance, is the disengagement of one foot from a closed position to an open position.
1962 Jrnl. Royal Anthropol. Inst. 92 29 The dance position—upper arms level with the shoulders..and the open posture of the legs—is like the..Eshu devotees' ritual dance.
1993 Dance Internat. Summer 47/1 In the narrow second position plié.., there was none of the elastic or organic opening out found in the more generously open ballet second.
2001 Jrnl. Asian Martial Arts 10 No. 3. 26 The sheyan (upward balance movement)..requires the actor to lean backward with arms open and raise one leg.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > visibility > [adjective] > clearly visible
senec1175
well seenc1175
naked?c1225
well isenec1275
bremec1340
evidenta1382
apparent1393
palpable?1435
open1478
pointablea1555
faira1568
full-eyed1581
unmasked1590
eyeful?1611
plain1613
prospecta1640
unovercloudeda1658
intuitive1801
unmystified1822
shroudless1841
unforeshortened1846
trenchant1849
focusable1889
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > [adjective] > disjoining or disconnecting > not joined, united, or connected
uncoupled1377
unjoined1538
unclosed1551
unknitting1587
ununited1587
unknit1603
incommunicated1646
discontiguous1656
incontiguous1660
open1686
inconnected1742
disconnected1751
incoherent1768
uncemented1783
unconnected1829
disaffiliated1839
disconnect1845
inarticulate1852
unarticulated1861
ununified1862
1478 W. Worcester Itineraries 110 Le forlond de Raume opyn vppon Plymouth.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 573 Our shyppe wente to wrake open upon Donkyrke (..tout deuant Donkyrke).
1574 W. Bourne Regim. for Sea (1577) 272 You muste haue a thwarte marke to know bothe when that you are clear of any daunger, and also when you are open of an other channell.
1670 J. Narborough Jrnl. in Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) i. 62 When you are at the West-part of this Narrow, you will see three Islands come open, which shew to be steep up Cliffs.
1686 London Gaz. No. 2112/4 They are to keep the Great Light a little open to the Eastward of the Small One, to avoid their coming ashore upon the Main.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 166 I found myself open to the Northern Shore.
1778 J. Cook Jrnl. 29 Aug. (1967) III. i. 427 As we stood off, the Westermost of the two hills..came open of the bluf point in the direction of nw.
1858 Mercantile Marine Mag. 5 227 Until you observe the spire..its breadth open of Bradley's head.
1927 G. Bradford Gloss. Sea Terms 122/1 A distinct object..seen clear by a point of land..is said to be open.
11. Of †the body or (in later use) the bowels: not constipated.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > digestive or excretive organs > digestive organs > intestines > [adjective] > motion of > not obstructed or constipated
open1562
1562 J. Heywood Sixt Hundred Epigrammes xc, in Wks. sig. Ddiv When folke be most open,..Then go they to stooles that be made most close.
1710 J. Floyer Pulse Watch II. 427 Oil, Butter, and course Bread, and Hony-drinks keep the Body open.
1782 S. Johnson Let. 4 June (1994) IV. 47 I should..tame the cough with opium, keep the body open.
1799 N.Y. Daily Advertiser 29 July 4/5 The advantages which are derived by keeping the skin clean, and the bowels open, to preserve health.
1812 J. Baillie Advice to Mothers x. 142 Magnesia alba,..a lenient purgative, and keeps the body gently open.
1935 W. Faulkner Pylon 92 A canvas conceived in and executed out of that fine innocence of sleep and open bowels.
2000 Topeka Capital Jrnl. (Nexis) 28 Dec. Keep the bowels open, the head cool, the feet dry, and there will be little, if any, sickness in camp.
12. † b. Of the soil or ground: not hardened with frost; loose, permeable. Obsolete.
a. Of weather or a season: mild, not sharp; spec. free from frost, snow, and ice; (Nautical) free from fog and mist. Now chiefly regional.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > fine weather > [adjective] > not frosty
open1602
fresh1654
frostless1711
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > fine weather > [adjective] > clear > not misty or foggy
open1602
mistlessa1835
fogless1840
telescopic1883
sightable1888
smogless1948
1602 J. Brereton Briefe Relation Discouerie Virginia 4 Our going vpon an vnknowen coast, made vs not ouer-bolde to stand in with the shore, but in open weather.
1615 W. Lawson Country Housewifes Garden (1626) 19 In winter..open, calme, and moist weather is best.
1714 J. Swift Let. to Bolingbroke 14 Sept. in Wks. (1765) VIII. ii. 42 Hay will certainly be dear, unless we have an open winter.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine sig. M The weather is said to be clear when it is fair and open.
1786 J. Abercrombie Gardeners Daily Assistant 6 Radishes—sow early short-top kinds on warm borders, in open weather.
1812 Sporting Mag. 39 107 The meetings shall be held the first open week in or after November.
1880 Sci. Amer. 19 June 384/3 The open winter just past is made the occasion of something like an ice famine in this city [sc. New York].
1884 Graphic Christmas No. 20/2 The weather being fine and open and dry.
1933 W. H. Greene Wooden Walls among Ice Flows 35 In what the Newfoundlanders call an ‘Open Spring’, the ice will be swept so far east..that the thankful land will be seen rejoicing.
1993 Harrowsmith Dec. 26/2 Areas with open winters, such as southern Ontario and the prairies.
1995 J. M. Sims-Kimbrey Wodds & Doggerybaw: Lincs. Dial. Dict. 212/1 Oppen-weather, warm and fine weather in winter, with no frost even at night.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > constituent materials > earth or soil > soil qualities > [adjective] > friable
lightc1400
resolute?1440
mouldery1600
murly1600
murling1610
chessom1626
open1647
putrid1656
overlight1707
shattery1728
well-broke1796
1647 A. Ross Mystagogvs Poeticvs xv. 230 Sometimes she [sc. Rhea] is open, as in the Summer and Spring, when all plants and trees bud out of the earth, and sometimes shut, as in the winter.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 52 That while the Turf lies open, and unbound, Succeeding Suns may bake the Mellow Ground. View more context for this quotation
13. Phonetics.
a. Of a vowel: pronounced with a relatively wide opening of the mouth and the tongue held low in it.Opposed to close adj. 1d.
ΚΠ
1611 J. Florio Rules Ital. Tongue in Queen Anna's New World of Words 618 The Italians haue two very different sounds for the two vowels, E. and O. which for distinctions sake, they name the one close and the other open.
1711 A. Pope Ess. Crit. 21 These Equal Syllables alone require, Tho' oft' the Ear the open Vowels tire.
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Gram. A has three sounds, the slender, open, and broad.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xiii. 98 They seem to skip from consonant to consonant, until, lighting upon a broad, open vowel, they rest upon that to restore the balance of sound.
1889 B. H. Kennedy Rev. Lat. Primer 3 The most open sound is a; the closest sharp sound is i.
1950 D. Jones Phoneme vii. 23 The opener vowel only occurs before dark l and the closer vowel is never found in that position.
1996 N.Y. Times Mag. 2 June 33/1 They must sit properly on the music and move when it does; provide big, open vowel sounds for high notes.
b. Of a syllable: ending in a vowel.Opposed to closed (cf. closed syllable at closed adj. 1).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > [adjective] > syllable > type of
pure1776
open1845
checked1943
1845 W. E. Jelf Gram. Greek Lang. I. iii. 30 When a syllable ends with a vowel it is called an open, when with a consonant, a close syllable.
1891 L. Soames Introd. Phonetics 74 The short accented vowels never occur in open syllables.
1915 K. Sisam Skeat's Havelok p. xxxi When a text has any claims to belong to the thirteenth century, it is worth noticing what evidence it contains for the lengthening of short vowels in open syllables.
1964 Archivum Linguisticum 16 72 The different vowel contrast systems in French final open and closed syllables.
1993 Canad. Jrnl. Linguistics 38 48 In general, [ø] occurs in open syllables, both stressed and unstressed, and [œ] in closed.
14.
a. Having apertures or spaces between the parts; containing gaps or holes; porous.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [adjective] > having (a) hole(s) > full of holes
holey1398
sieve-like1605
windowed1608
open-waled1611
open1625
foraminous1626
windowya1631
honeycombed1633
foraminulous1664
cribrous1674
cribriform1741
riddled1785
cribrose1857
1625 G. Markham Souldiers Accidence 12 In Files..Open Order is sixe foote betweene person and person..in Rankes..to stand or march at Open-Order, is ever twelue foote.
1663 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders 29 A ranck of open teeth.
1698 W. Harris & J. Keill tr. N. Lémery Course Chym. (ed. 3) i. vi. 150 You had better use Verdegreese..because it is more open, and disposed for solution by the acids of Vinegar.
1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 73 Changes of position in open column, are in general movements of previous disposition.
1820 W. Scoresby Acct. Arctic Regions I. 229 Open ice, or sailing-ice, is where the pieces are so separate as to admit of a ship sailing conveniently among them.
1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm I. 333 A porous or open soil and subsoil.
1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 182 Unless a very open and porous collodion be used.
1937 S. F. Armstrong Brit. Grasses (ed. 3) x. 183 It will do well on all soils of moderate fertility so long as they are not liable to excessive wetness.
1991 A. Kemp SAS at War (BNC) 60 The jeep force set off in the late afternoon... They travelled in open formation.
b. Music. Designating or relating to a note symbol having an unfilled oval, as a breve or a minim.
ΚΠ
1782 C. Burney Gen. Hist. Music II. 303 Notes in a lozenge form;..these, whether the heads were full or open, were at first called Minims; but when a still quicker note was thought necessary, the white or open notes only had that title and the black were..by the English [called] Crotchets.
1903 Churchman 10 Oct. 447 The notes are of the open (or, as our English friends term it, minim or semibreve) style.
1923 J. Pulver Dict. O.E. Music & Musical Instruments 131 It was first written as a black note, and later as an open one with a tail on the right side.
1974 G. Read Mus. Notation v. 63 The note-head..is somewhat oval in shape, and is either open (or ‘white’..) or closed (‘black’..).
c. Sport. Of a game or style of play: characterized by action which is spread out over the field.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of play, actions, or postures > [adjective] > other actions or types of play
short1545
standing1728
unpenetrative1795
loose1802
scratched1869
cannonball1872
scratchy1881
punishable1910
wrong-footing1928
open1934
overhead1938
power1959
run-and-gun1960
tight1961
1934 D. Jack Soccer 135 Where there is speed and goal-scoring power in the middle and down the wings every effort should be made to exploit them to the full by keeping the game as open as possible.
1976 Morecambe Guardian 7 Dec. 8/7 Both sides played fast, open rugby to produce a high scoring game.
1996 Times 20 May 24/5 Chances fell to both sides in the later stages of an increasingly open game.
d. Chemistry and Metallurgy. Of a metal or alloy: having a crystal lattice such that the radii of the metal ions in the lattice are small compared with the distances between them.
ΚΠ
1938 W. Hume-Rothery & G. V. Raynor in London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 7th Ser. 26 130 If the ionic radius is small compared with the interatomic distance, we shall have a metal of what may be called the ‘open’ type.
1967 A. H. Cottrell Introd. Metall. xix. 322 In open metals we need consider only the valency electrons, for the electrons in the ionic shells are negligibly disturbed by the metallic binding.
1985 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 314 76 The field induces a Fermi surface transformation at an onset field H0, from an open metal-like Fermi surface at H < H0 to a semi-metal-like Fermi surface related to a s.d.w. state at H > H0.
e. Linguistics. Of a compound: printed or written with a space between the component elements.
ΚΠ
1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Open compound, a compound whose word components are separated by a space in printing or writing.
1972 R. Quirk et al. Gram. Contemp. Eng. 1019 In Am[erican] E[nglish]..compounds are usually written solid as soon as they have gained some permanent status; otherwise they are written open.
1993 T. G. Rose Large Vocab. Semantic Anal. for Text Recognition (Ph.D. thesis, Nottingham Trent Univ.) Amsler shows that this notion ignores important classes of words such as open nominal compounds, phrasal verbs and idioms.
15. Music. Of an instrument or a part of an instrument: not stopped, damped, or muted; left free to vibrate; spec. (of a string) allowed to vibrate along its whole length; (of a horn) having no valves, played without the use of valves; (of an organ pipe) unstopped at each end. Of a note or piece of music: produced by such a string, pipe, etc. Also: designating or relating to this type of playing.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > sound of instruments > [adjective] > sound of wind instruments > produced in specific way
open1636
pinching1688
cuivré1931
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > organ > [adjective] > types of pipes or stops
stopped1595
open1636
labial1837
borrowed1840
through1853
stopless1899
derived-
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > [adjective] > of a cymbal: free to vibrate
open1926
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > wind instrument > brass instruments > [adjective] > muted or not muted
open1926
cup-muted1955
1636 C. Butler Princ. Musik i. ii. 22 If dhe first base Lute-string, strooke open, bee Mi; dhe same stopt at dhe first fret soundeth fa.., at dhe fift (which is all one with dhe second string open) la.
1655 J. Playford Introd. Skill Musick ii. 44 Tune him till it agree with your Treble open.
1751 F. Geminiani Art of Playing on Violin Ex. IC. 2 The Mark (o) denotes an open String.
1786 T. Busby Compl. Dict. Music Open, an epithet applied to the string of a violin, guitar, &c. when not compressed with the finger... The note so produced is called an open note.
1852 tr. J. J. Seidel Organ & its Constr. 80 We call a pipe open, if its upper end or aperture is not shut up.
1888 Murray's Mag. 3 No. 14. The transition from open to closed tones should not be quite abrupt.
1926 Melody Maker Mar. 30 Nothing is better suited to obtain a highly successful result than the beautiful, sweet full tone of the open instrument, and I advise all artistes to try a few ‘open’ solos.
1955 O. Keepnews & W. Grauer Pict. Hist. Jazz xiii. 141 Cootie Williams,..strictly an open-horn stylist until he took over Bubber Miley's chair and produced a fine, muted ‘jungle’ sound.
1967 Crescendo Apr. 7/2 The Les Brown trick of trumpets in tin mutes playing above open trombones.
1989 Guitar Player Mar. 51/1 Notice how the left-hand fingering combines open and stopped notes.
16. † a. Providing or designating a path for an electric current. Cf. sense 8a. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1770 J. Priestley in Philos. Trans. 1769 (Royal Soc.) 59 69 The whole [electric] fire of an explosion does not pass in the shortest and best circuit; but..if inferior circuits be open, part will pass in them.
1837 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 127 148 The whole circuit was then completed by the connection of 1 and 9 by a short wire, when, notwithstanding a path was open for the circulation of the battery current, the deflection caused by the single cell No. 8. increased.
b. Having a break in the conducting path for an electric current. Cf. open circuit n. and adj.The sense in quot. 1827 is uncertain.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > transmission of electricity, conduction > [adjective] > having a break in conduction
open1844
1827 J. Cumming tr. J. F. Demonferrand Man. Electro Dynamics iv. 164 In all cases of continued rotation, one of the conductors forms an open circuit.]
1844 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 134 49 We have a battery, the active elements of which are two gases, which, with a closed circuit, immediately enter into active chemical combination;..but in which no amount of chemical action could be detected whilst the circuit remained open.
1869 London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 4th Ser. 38 2 When the shunt is open the battery is unable to send a steady current through the voltameter.
1901 Chambers's Jrnl. Sept. 617/2 If a new machine, the switches should be left open, the brushes lifted, and the machine allowed to run without load for a little time.
1962 J. P. Gregory in G. A. T. Burdett Automatic Control Handbk. ii. 21 With the initiating switch open, the timing capacitor..is charged to the peak value of the a.c. voltage.
1975 I. Clucas Reed's Electr. for Deck Officers vii. 212 The inductance in the circuit..tries to maintain the current once the switch is open.
1992 RS Components: Electronic & Electr. Products July–Oct. 1010/2 (caption) A range of illuminated single pole, single throw normally open switches with silver contacts.
17. Entomology. Designating a cell of an insect's wing that reaches the margin of the wing.
ΚΠ
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. 341 Open, areolets that terminate in the margin of the wing, or that are not surrounded on all sides by nervures.
1918 J. H. Comstock Wings of Insects iii. 53 When a cell is completely surrounded by veins it is said to be closed; but when it extends to the margin of the wing it is said to be open.
1994 Aquatic Insects 16 249 The forewing of the new species lacks a setose anal pocket..and the thridial cell of the hindwing is open.
18. Of a game of chess: developed (develop v. 15a) either by gambits or by opening up the files.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [adjective] > type of play
close1750
open1856
combinative1934
positional1937
1856 C. Tomlinson Chess Player's Ann. 75 He was a very accomplished player, and generally preferred open games, gambits, &c.
1890 R. F. Green Chess v. 14 An Open Game is one in which the development is effected chiefly in advance of the pawns. P to K4 as a first move on both sides, leads generally to an open game.
1936 W. Winter Chess for Match Players ii. 24 In the category of Open games come the vast majority of the King's side openings.
1959 H. Golombek Mod. Opening Chess Strategy 11 Certain openings suit certain people—some like an open type of game, others prefer a close.
1991 E. Mednis How to be Compl. Tournament Player iii. 24 There are innumerable strategically sound openings in the open games ‘book’ and many ways of playing closed openings sharply.
19.
a. Mathematics. Of a curve: not enclosing and isolating an area.
ΚΠ
1872 C. Taylor Geom. Conics i. 2 If a straight line parallel to the axis cuts the parabola in a point P it cannot cut it again. Hence the parabola is an open curve.
1898 Amer. Math. Monthly 5 286 In Watt's arrangement the parallel point..describes a figure of 8, in Tchebicheff's system it describes a very flat but open oval curve.
1937 Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 42 77 The boundary of β of D is the sum of a finite number of mutually exclusive open curves.
1991 J. Hunt in C. Bondi New Applic. Math. i. 19 When μ < 0, equation (1.19) generates hyperbolas.., so the forms of the curves have suddenly changed from closed curves to open curves.
b. Mathematics. Of a set of points: not containing any of its boundary points; having a closed set as its complement. Of an interval in the real line: not containing either of its end points. Of a metric space: having the property that for every point x in the space there exists a number ε such that every point within a distance ε of x is also in the space.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > geometry > point > [adjective]
umbilical1728
polar1813
umbilicar1843
connectant1863
stigmatic1863
cuspidal1874
tropal1875
cusped1879
copunctal1896
open1896
perfect1897
closed1902
1896 Amer. Jrnl. Math. 18 266 There is a certain (open) succession of the n sets which..we take to be the succession of i = 1, 2,... n.
1939 M. H. A. Newman Elem. Topol. Plane Sets of Points ii. 25 The sum of any set of open sets is an open set.
1956 E. M. Patterson Topol. ii. 23 An example of a set which is not open is the set defined by 0 ≦ x < 1; no ε-neighbourhood of x = 0 lies entirely in the set, for every ε-neighbourhood of x = 0 contains a point whose coordinate is negative.
1968 P. A. P. Moran Introd. Probability Theory iv. 185 An open interval in Rn is defined to be a set of points whose coordinates satisfy the inequalities ai < xi < bi..where the ai may be − ∞ and the bi, + ∞. An open interval is clearly an open set.
1990 Glasgow Math. Jrnl. 32 302 Thus at each of its points S is locally homeomorphic to an open subset of a plane (its tangent plane at that point).
c. Astronomy. Of the universe: spatially infinite and always expanding; having a negative radius of curvature.The universe will be open if it does not contain sufficient matter to halt its expansion and start its contraction.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > [adjective] > expanding
open1933
1933 A. S. Eddington Expanding Universe ii. 61 If we adopt open space we encounter certain difficulties..which closed space entirely avoids.
1937 E. Hubble Observational Approach Cosmol. iii. 55 The radius [of curvature] in our universe might be positive, negative, or zero, and might be large or small... A negative curvature implies open space, an infinite universe.
1965 J. D. North Measure of Universe vi. 135 The logical advantages of an open model were generally thought to be fewer than those of a model with positive curvature.
1978 Daily Tel. 27 Mar. 7/2 This question of whether the universe will prove to be ‘open’ or ‘closed’ raises an important philosophical question about the existence of God.
1990 J. Gribbin & M. Rees Cosmic Coincidences (1991) i. 28 The Universe is a special place, balanced on a knife edge between being open and closed.
20.
a. Botany. Of a vascular bundle: containing cambium and so capable of radial growth.
ΚΠ
1875 A. W. Bennett & W. T. T. Dyer tr. J. von Sachs Text-bk. Bot. 93 There are..bundles devoid of and bundles containing cambium; the former may be termed closed, the latter open.
1916 Bot. Gaz. 62 121 The bundle type is open collateral endarch, oriented for the most part in the usual manner.
1992 M. Ingrouille Diversity & Evol. Land Plants ii. 31 (caption) The typical pattern of endarch development in a ring of ‘open’ vascular bundles in a dicotyledon.
b. Botany and Zoology. Of a vascular system: composed of branching bundles which are independent of each other.
ΚΠ
1901 Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28 377 Within the cortex of the young stem is a ring of several fibro-vascular bundles, of the open collateral type.
1972 Amer. Jrnl. Bot. 59 557 The vascular system is predominantly of the open type in dicotyledonous plants which have helically arranged leaves.
1984 Jrnl. Exper. Zool. 231 309 The blood in the abalone is directed to the tissues not in proportion to percent total body weight the tissues represent (as might be expected in an open vascular system) but apparently in proportion to tissue metabolic rate.
1995 Jrnl. Electron Microsc. 44 311 The vasculature of the lobster gill showed the characteristics of an open vascular system.
21. Medicine. Designating a method of administering anaesthetics in which the patient's respiratory tract is in communication with the air, so that exhaled air is not rebreathed.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > anaesthetization, pain-killing, etc. > [adjective] > anaesthetized > method of anaesthetizing
open1888
semi-open1914
1888 D. W. Buxton Anæsthetics v. 78 The open method... A common towel is arranged so as to form a square of six folds, and enough choloroform is poured upon it to wet an area the size of a hand's palm.
1922 Encycl. Brit. XXX. 137/2 The induction of anaesthesia by the open method is liable to be somewhat prolonged.
1972 J. C. Snow Anesthesia v. 39 The Ayre T-tube system is another example of an open or semi-open system.
2001 Brit. Jrnl. Anaesthesia 87 559 The inspired concentrations allow the usage that would have occurred in an open system to be calculated.
a. Involving the laying of one's cards face up on the table. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1894 R. F. Green Solo Whist iv. 14 Open misère.—A declaration by which a player engages to lose a trick, but by which he has to expose every card in his hand, after the first trick has been played.
1929 B. Dalton Solo Whist & Auction Solo 26 Never neglect any crumbs of inference you may pick up from previous calls, especially when forced up from a simple Misère to an open one.
b. Of a bet in faro: made in expectation of a card winning; not coppered. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1913 C. E. Mulford Coming of Cassidy vii. 116 The player..placed fifty dollars on the Queen, open, and coppered the deuce.
c. Of betting in poker: on which betting has begun or can begin. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1913 C. E. Mulford Coming of Cassidy xi. 182 When the seventh hand was dealt the puncher picked his cards and laughed. ‘She's open’, he cried, ‘for fifty,’ and shoved out the money.
23. Logic and Mathematics. Of a logical formula or mathematical equation: containing at least one free variable or undetermined quantity. Of a function: propositional or sentential.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > algebra > [adjective] > relating to expressions > relating to equations
algebraic1657
lateral1670
explicable1706
unreduced1762
homogeneous1815
resolvent1860
Pellian1862
equational1864
canonizant1879
variational1879
unilateral1884
non-dimensional1904
open1937
inhomogeneous1943
stiff1952
the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > predicate or propositional logic > [adjective] > (of assertion) containing particular elements
non-empty1905
one-place1936
open1937
singulary1940
1937 A. Smeaton tr. R. Carnap Logical Syntax Lang. i. 21 If a variable which is free in 1 occurs in 1, then 1 is called open; otherwise it is called closed... Our classification into closed and open sentences corresponds to the usual classification into sentences and sentential functions.
1963 W. V. Quine Set Theory 1 Imagine a sentence about something. Put a blank or variable where the thing is referred to. You have no longer a sentence..but an open sentence, so called, that may hold true of each of various things and be false of others.
1967 M. L. Tomber Introd. Contemp. Algebra ii. 63 5·3−1 = 5/ 3 is a solution of the open equation 3x = 5.
1971 Sci. Amer. Mar. 55 A predicate is an open sentence: one that can be completed by assigning names to its variables.
1994 S. Blackburn Oxf. Dict. Philos. 270/1 An open sentence with n free variables may be thought of as an n-place predicate.
II. Non-physical senses.
24. Exposed to the mind, brought to light; evident, plain, clear, easy to understand. Now chiefly in to lay open: to reveal, explain, expose.In quot. 1395 opin at ighe has the sense ‘plain to see’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > clearness, lucidity > [adjective]
sutelc897
openeOE
plaina1398
sada1400
familiar1509
facile1531
lightsome1532
well-determined1560
pervial1595
uncurious1601
articulate1603
distinct1609
unmisinterpretablea1631
dilucida1640
limpid1649
dilucidate1651
unmysterious1663
incurious1664
elucidatea1670
accessible1681
distinguished1700
dilucidated1759
unmistakable1822
black and white1838
clear-cut1843
square on1963
society > communication > manifestation > manifestness > [adjective]
sutelc897
openeOE
ebera975
graithc1325
broadc1374
plainc1375
clearc1380
grossc1380
manifest1385
notoire1409
patent1508
sensible?1531
discovered1537
plain as a pikestaff (also packstaff, pad-staff)1542
palpable1545
demonstrative1552
plain as the nose on (in) one's face1560
illustrate1562
appearing1566
notorious1581
obvious1583
unshadowed1593
transparent1597
liquid1610
visible1614
pellucid1644
illustrious1654
apertive1661
conspectable1727
suggestive1806
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) xxxvi. 106 Ða cwæð ic: genog open hit is.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 732 Þatt wass..full openn takenn. Þatt heore streon wass drihhtin leof.
c1300 St. Mary Magdalen (Laud) 270 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 470 (MED) Dame, ȝwat schulle we do Of þisse opene warningue þat is i-come us to?
Remonstr. against Romish Corruptions (Titus) (1851) 51 (MED) It is opin at ighe that the bisshop of Rome hath not so greet power in worchyng of miraclis..as Petir and Poul hadden.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iv. 6802 (MED) Þe goddes..maken open þat is nowe secre.
c1450 J. Capgrave Solace of Pilgrims (Bodl. 423) (1911) 27 (MED) In uirgil bookes be founde open testimonies of cristis birth.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) xxxvi. 31 This has na nede of expounynge, for it is opon ynoghe.
1588 J. Udall State Church of Eng. sig. B3v Lay open your former speeches, that I may vnderstand your meaning.
1675 R. Vaughan Disc. Coin & Coinage i I do intent to lay open all the mysteries to the comprehension of the attentive Reader.
1732 J. Swift Proposal to pay off Debt of Nation in Considerations Two Bills (new ed.) 24 My Proposal, which I shall now lay open to the Publick.
1799 J. Mackintosh Study Law Nature & Nations in Wks. (1846) I. 379 I shall next endeavour to lay open the general principles of civil and criminal laws.
1836 W. Irving Astoria I. 68 They..laid open to him the whole scheme of Mr. Astor..and inquired whether they..could lawfully engage in it.
1886 R. L. Stevenson Strange Case Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde ix. 103 A new province of knowledge and new avenues to fame and power shall be laid open to you.
a1935 E. A. Robinson Genevieve & Alexandra in Coll. Poems (1937) 875 We've each of us a book To read that has a leaf we'll not lay open.
1992 S. Rose Making of Memory 32 I am trying to lay open my craft, to desacralize the doing of an experimental science.
25.
a. Exposed to general view or knowledge; existing, performed, or carried on without concealment or so that all may see or hear; known; public. Formerly also: †declared or held in public or by public authority (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > manifestness > openness or unconcealedness > [adjective]
openlyeOE
underna900
openeOE
utterly12..
unhida1300
perta1325
apert1330
nakeda1382
public1394
patenta1398
foreign?c1400
overtc1400
unrecovered1433
publicalc1450
open-visageda1513
bare1526
uncloaked1539
subject1556
uncovered1577
unmasked1590
facely1593
undisguised1598
female1602
unveiled1606
unshrouded1610
barefaceda1616
disclouded1615
unhiddena1616
broad-faced1643
with full miena1657
undissembled1671
frank1752
bald-faced1761
unconfidential1772
ostensible1782
unglossed1802
undisguising1813
unvisored1827
unconcealed1839
disprivacied1848
disguiseless1850
bald1854
unobscured1879
visible1885
open door1898
above ground1976
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) v. xiii. 129 Antonius..him selfum onbead gewin and openne feondscipe.
OE West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) vii. 4 Ne deð nan man nan þing on diglum, ac secþ þæt hit open sy.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 19598 Wiþþ derrf. & openn spæche.
c1210 ( Leges Hen. I xii. §1 in L. J. Downer Leges Henrici Primi (1972) 114 Quedem [placita] non possunt emendari, que sunt: husbreche et bernet et open þifþ.
1387–8 Petition London Mercers in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 34 Wronges subtiles & also open oppressions.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 27355 Þat he ne mak Opine knaulage of all his sak.
c1425 Bk. Found. St. Bartholomew's (1923) 59 Anooyn the godly myracle was made opyne.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll.) 102 He seyde in opyn audiens, ‘Thys your place, for beste ar ye worthy to sitte thereinne.’
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 11565 Hit was ordant of all men by oppon assent.
1558 Act 1 Eliz. c. 2 §4 Mattens, Euensong, administration of the Sacraments or other open Prayers..(Open Prayer in and throughout this Act, is meant that Prayer which is for other to come vnto, or hear).
1637 S. Rutherford Let. 6 Jan. (1848) lxxxv. 155 Oh that I could hear the forfeiture of Christ..recalled and taken off by open proclamation.
1712 J. Arbuthnot Law is Bottomless-pit viii. 14 This Affair between Hocus and Mrs. Bull was now so open, that all the World were scandaliz'd at it.
1844 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece VIII. lxii. 144 Cleombrotus he treated with open contempt.
1884 Law Times Rep. 50 255/2 He took his notes in the most open manner possible, sitting in one of the front seats.
1922 W. Gerhardi Futility i. iii. 20 I was amazed at this open display of hostility towards their own father.
1952 F. H. Dudden Henry Fielding I. p. v In the frequent parabases intercalated in his novels..[Fielding] has laid open his innermost self.
1980 Sci. Amer. Apr. 36/1 The size of the U.S. stockpile of lethal chemical munitions is classified information, but estimates can be made from open sources.
b. Of a person: acting publicly or without concealment; spec. (of an enemy, sinner, defender, etc.) that does not conceal the fact of having a certain character, disposition, or belief; avowed; declared. Also: brazen, shameless; notorious.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > acknowledgement, avowal, or confession > [adjective] > acknowledged, avowed, or confessed
ownedeOE
openOE
avowed1340
confessed1561
avouched1637
granted1640
declared1651
society > morality > moral evil > wrong conduct > evildoing or wrongdoing > [adjective] > of an offender: public or overt
openOE
common1340
OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1881) I. 292 Ne bið se na wita, þe unwislice leofað, ac bið open sott þeah þe him swa ne ðince.
a1425 in Mediaeval Stud. (1955) 17 227 (MED) If he be an opyn usurere, he shal not be amytted to the comounyng of þe auter.
?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 274 Open comowne wommen.
?a1475 (?a1425) in tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1882) VIII. App. 441 (MED) That erle was an open advouturer.
1528 Rede me & be nott Wrothe sig. eviiv In inwarde maners, They were worse then open synners.
1594 R. Barnfield Affectionate Shepheard ii. l. 616 Trust not a fained reconciled frend, More than an open foe.
1602 R. Byrchensha Discourse l. 139 Open mainitainers of all runnagates, As peeuish priests and filthie begging Friers.
1657 N. Billingsley Brachy-martyrologia xiv. 50 I am a Christian, and an open foe Unto your diabolik sacrifices.
1719 J. Barker Bosvil & Galesia 42 Here was now no Medium, no Space left between open Lover and open Enemy.
1749 W. Hawkins Henry & Rosamond iii. i. 37 I am no more a Beggar in Disguise, But here an open, and avenging Foe.
1846 H. W. Herbert Roman Traitor II. xiii. 137 It required..much boldness..to stand forward as their open champion.
1927 J. W. Duff Literary Hist. Rome 609 An open offender is less obnoxious than a counterfeit moralist.
2000 D. Ortiz Paper Liberals i. 30 A progressive Republican and open advocate of a revolutionary overthrow of the Restoration monarchy.
c. Medicine. Designating or relating to a clinical trial in which both the subject and the tester know the identity of the medication or therapy involved. Opposed to blind adj. 9c.
ΚΠ
1967 Canad. Med. Assoc. Jrnl. 15 July 123/2 Comparison experiments may be open, single-blind, double-blind, or if you like, multiple-blind.
1991 Lancet 9 Mar. 583/2 An open clinical trial of amocarzine was carried out in onchocerciasis patients in Ecuador and Guatemala.
1995 Brit. Jrnl. Clin. Psychol. 34 409 It therefore seemed appropriate to carry out a preliminary open trial to search for maximum effects.
d. Of government or public administration: welcoming discussion, criticism, and enquiry; involving no concealment, restraint, or deception.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > a or the system of government > government by the people or their delegates > [adjective] > involving participation
participatory1881
open1968
1968 N.Y. Times 20 Sept. 33/2 It's time we once again had an open administration—open to ideas from the people, and open in its communication with the people.
1971 J. Aiken Officially Secret xv. 211 The absence of effective checks and controls on the activities of the contemporary Civil Service has recently led to demands for ‘more open government’.
1976 Ld. Home Way Wind Blows vii. 115 That this crisis was averted was in the greatest part due to the instinct for fair play and open government practised by the Tunku Abdul Rahman.
1996 Prospect Mar. 50/1 Peter Mandelson is committed to the programme of decentralisation, devolution and open government.
26. In predicative use.
a. With to, †upon. Likely to suffer from or be affected by; vulnerable or exposed to.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > [adjective] > exposed to danger > vulnerable
openeOE
subjectc1384
pregnablec1475
opportunea1500
casuala1535
wide open?1544
obnoxious1572
assailable1589
liable1593
abnoxious1611
woundable1611
obnoxious1612
speeding1612
infectible1634
sufferable1651
attackable1656
vulnerable1678
prejudicial1682
threatenable1841
doable1849
infectable1860
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > [adjective] > exposed to danger > vulnerable > unprotected
nakedeOE
openeOE
yemelesc897
bare1297
unarmed1297
berghlessa1325
subjectc1384
undefensablec1412
unfencible1513
defenceless1532
wide open?1544
undefended1564
unfended1576
indefensive1586
undefensive1587
fenceless1594
unprotected1597
undefensible1616
unscreened1648
defendless1738
uncovereda1795
screenless1837
undefendable1938
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) lvi. 431 Bið hit [sc. þæt mod] on sume healfe open to wundianne.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Prov. xii. 8 Who forsothe is veyn and herteles shal ben open to despising.
a1425 (a1382) Prefatory Epist. St. Jerome in Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Corpus Oxf.) (1850) 75 Certeyn a perylous werk, open to the berkyngis of backbyters.
1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) xl. 202 The youth is open to all fraylte.
1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer ii. sig. V.iii A daungerous place that lay open vpon gunnshott.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 v. ii. 8 The seruice..Hath left me open to all iniuries. View more context for this quotation
1684 N. Lee Constantine Great ii. 12 The one's not half so open to Destruction, as t'other close.
1782 J. Priestley Hist. Corruptions Christianity I. ii. 158 Dangerous constructions to which they are now too much open.
1865 Church Times 18 Nov. 365/2 Whether they really beat ours..may be open to question.
1891 Law Times 90 250/2 It seems open to doubt.
1918 H. Croy How Motion Pictures are Made vii. 175 The diaphragm fade is open to the objection that with an iris that never closes completely it is impossible to make a complete fade.
1991 Lit. & Theol. 5 335 The satirist..himself is open to condemnation as a loller.
b. to lay (also leave) open: to make vulnerable to; to expose or make subject to attack, criticism, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > operation upon something > have effect on [verb (transitive)] > make subject to an action or influence
obtain1425
subjecta1450
to put forth1482
to set out1579
expose1594
to lay (also leave) open1595
render1642
to get (also put, have, etc.) on the run1909
1595 S. Daniel First Fowre Bks. Ciuile Warres ii. cvi. sig. L3v So fares this king layd open to disgrace.
1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 199 There hath proceeded enough from his own mouth to lay him open to condemnation. View more context for this quotation
1793 A. Kippis Biogr. Brit. (ed. 2) V. 596 Dr. Bennet..laid himself open to the strictures both of Trinitarian and Unitarian Divines.
1829 W. Scott Waverley (new ed.) I. Gen. Pref. p. xxvii The alternative..must have left me open to the degrading suspicion that I was not unwilling to assume the merit.
1891 A. Conan Doyle Case of Identity in Strand Mag. Sept. 258/1 As long as you keep that door locked you lay yourself open to an action for assault and illegal constraint.
1931 T. R. G. Lyell Slang, Phrase & Idiom Colloq. Eng. 455 Judging by the people he knows and the books he reads and recommends, he certainly lays himself open to the suspicion of being one [sc. a Communist].
2000 South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) 5 May 12/3 That would leave the Government open to accusations of short-termism.
27. † b. Of a period of time: not finished or completed. Obsolete. rare.
a. Of a matter, discussion, etc.: not finally settled or determined; that may be decided according to circumstances or at will; (hence) still admitting of debate, uncertain. Frequently in open question.open verdict: see verdict n. 1c.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > insecure knowledge, uncertainty > questionable state or quality > [adjective]
openlOE
doubtousc1330
uncertain1338
doubtyc1380
brigousa1387
doubtablec1400
doubtfula1425
questionable1443
batable1453
strivablec1456
inquirable1485
litigious1520
doubtsomea1522
disputable1548
dubious1548
doubted?1551
moot1563
problematical1567
discussiblea1578
debatable1581
controversial1583
disputativea1586
debateful1587
decidable1596
controversible1601
controvertible1601
controversal1604
controversable1607
problematic1609
controversary1610
left-handed1610
disputed1611
dubitable1625
quarrellable1642
catchinga1670
non liquet1678
brigose1679
contestable1702
equivocala1797
controversional1807
contradictable1856
discutable1868
hinky1961
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > insecure knowledge, uncertainty > questionable state or quality > [adjective] > undecided, unsettled
openlOE
undiscussedc1340
unassoiled1387
undetermined1442
unruled1456
unabsoiled1521
undecised1528
undecided1540
unresolved1565
suspensive1575
unprejudged1641
unaccorded1645
indeterminate1656
unagreed1661
unabsolved1721
undeterminate1767
unsettled1844
meedless1896
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > insecure knowledge, uncertainty > questionable state or quality > [noun] > something uncertain
uncertaintya1387
ambiguity1445
moot point1563
measuring cast1631
inconcludency1654
disputablea1657
undefinable1809
tertium quid1826
open question1837
question mark1870
inconclusion1886
disputability1892
borderliner1953
undecidable1965
lOE Laws of Hloðhære & Eadric (Rochester) ix. 10 Gif he ðonne byrigan forwærne, xii scillingas agylde þam cyninge, & sio se[o] sacy swa open swa hio ær wes.
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 451/1 Where the thinges that we speake of or the article of ye diuersitie of the word whiche is in the verbe in our englishe tonge,..maketh the matter open which of the two termes we take for subiectum & which for prædicatum.
1769 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. IV. 354 An open verdict may be either general, guilty, or not guilty.
1804 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. IV. 361 The other question, as to..power of leasing, was still left open.
1837 J. S. Mill Let. 27 Jan. in Wks. (1963) XII. 320 There is no reason against letting this be an ‘open question’..among radicals.
1859 D. Masson Life Milton I. 630 The summary decision of what had hitherto been an open question in the Church.
1892 Law Times 92 156/1 Lord Justice Cotton..left the matter open for future consideration.
1912 New Phytologist 11 105 His verdict upon Eriksson's mycoplasm hypothesis is an open one.
1924 H. H. Asquith Stud. & Sketches ii. 45 He agreed to allow belief in the doctrine to be an open question.
1949 P. A. Schilpp Albert Einstein xxiii. 591 The question is still open whether it is possible thereby to arrive at a real monism.
1976 Howard Jrnl. 15 i. 17 What brought about this change is an open question.
1996 Times 19 Mar. 2/1 The open question is the bland preliminary inquiry which conceals the backbencher's real question, his second one.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > period > [adjective] > not finished or closed
open1562
1562 Act 5 Eliz. c. 1 §3 Justices..shall certify every Presentment..in..the King's Bench within forty Days..if the Term be then open.
c. Finance. Of an account of reckoning: with payments outstanding; not settled. Of a bank account: available for use; not closed. Also figurative.
ΚΠ
1713 Boston News-let. 13 Apr. 2/2 Messieurs Francis Clark and Grove Hirst..resolving not to act any longer as Partners, save to shut up their Accounts now open in their books, do signify the same.
1727 D. Defoe Compl. Eng. Tradesman (ed. 2) I. Suppl. iii. 142 Other accounts are left open and uncast up.
1773 Pennsylvania Gaz. 22 Dec. All Persons indebted to Somervell and Noble, by Bond, Note or open Account, are..requested to pay off the same to their Attorney, Hugh Lennox.
1792 J. Belknap Foresters xii. 146 We must..keep up appearances with our old neighbour; we have accounts open with him.
1815 R. Southey Minor Poems II. 210 His alms were..donations to keep open A running charity-account with heaven.
1853 W. M. Thackeray Newcomes (1854) I. v. 42 I used..to maintain a balance of two or three guineas untouched at the bank, so that my account might still remain open.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 123/1 A speculator is said to have a large account open when he has dealt heavily either for the rise or fall.
1978 J. Barfoot Abra vii. 86 Why don't you leave the account open and pay for whatever it is with a certified cheque?
1993 C. Fowler Red Bride (BNC) 294 ‘That's your balance,’ she said... He glanced down at the amount. Five pounds. The bare minimum required to keep the account open.
d. Of a ticket: valid without restriction as to date of use; = open-dated adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > public passenger transport > [adjective] > valid for unspecified period (of a ticket)
open-dated1971
open1972
1972 P. Cleife Slick & Dead xx. 155 She will be using an open ticket for the next flight to Jo'-burg.
1988 J. D. Pistone & R. Woodley Donnie Brasco viii. 161 ‘At the airline they wanna know when I'm coming back.’ ‘We don't know. Just tell them you want an open return.’
1995 Sunday Tel. 26 Feb. 3/8 Sources say he has reserved a seat on a return flight to use the other half of his open return ticket.
e. Of a work of art, esp. a text: composed or constructed so as to admit a range of possible interpretations.
ΚΠ
1975 F. Kermode Classic 108 Such a text must continually draw attention to itself as something written, as open and plural, itself a type of things to come.
1984 Yale French Stud. 67 43 The modern work of art is essentially open, proposing a dialectic between the work and its interpreter.
1992 Amer. Hist. Rev. 97 1392 An ‘open text’..mandates the cooperation of the audience by compelling them to make a series of interpretive choices.
28.
a. Not restricted to a few, generally accessible or available; such that anyone may use it, share it, or take part in it.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > [adjective] > generally accessible or available
commonc1300
openc1390
publicc1485
vulgar1555
civil1605
free-for-all1871
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > [adjective] > usable > available
openc1390
disposable1643
available1827
c1390 G. Chaucer Melibeus 2813 The goodes he seith of thyn hous sholde nat been hid ne kept so cloos but that they myghte been opned by pitee and debonairetee..ne thy goodes sholden nat be so open to be euery mannes goodes.
?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 408 Wiþ þe meke & feiþful obedyens of..Ihesu..eendelees liif was maad open.
a1464 J. Capgrave Abbreuiacion of Cron. (Cambr. Gg.4.12) (1983) 89 Alured..mad an open scole of diuers sciens at Oxenford.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 239 Ffor all lawis ar till him opyn to bynd and lous at his will.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts xix. 38 The lawe is open, and there are ruelars.
1642 Vindic. King p. i Since the Times hath given an open Presse to cleere every imagination which is not stifled in this Dampe.
1711 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1852) II. 558 A free and open trade with us whilst the Sun endures.
1891 Speaker 2 May 534/1 The old universities are open to all, without distinction of rank or creed.
1954 Rep. Comm. of Enq. Prov. of Separate Training Facilities for Non-Europeans at Univ. 4 At two universities..non-European students are admitted, and..the principle of non-segregation is applied... For convenience sake..they may be called ‘open’ universities.
1998 Indianapolis Star 19 Oct. e5/3 Production stage manager Joe Sheridan and dance captain Daria Scatton selected the five in open auditions from a field of 60.
b. In predicative use. Of a course of action, an opportunity, etc.: accessible or available to a person without hindrance or restriction.
ΚΠ
1761 F. Sheridan Mem. Miss Sidney Bidulph II. 157 The other choice is still open to you.
a1770 J. Jortin Serm. (1771) I. v. 85 In the Holy Scriptures every thing necessary for general practice is open to all.
1800 W. Windham Speeches Parl. (1812) I. 338 If we, who have every source of amusement open to us, and yet follow these cruel sports, become rigid censors of the sports of the poor.
1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. App. 633 It is open to any one to reject both stories.
1883 Manch. Examiner 29 Nov. 5/1 There are three, or perhaps four, courses open to us.
1919 J. Buchan Mr. Standfast iii. 64 When he had two courses open to him, A and B, he pretended he was going to take B, and so got us guessing that he would try A.
1964 M. Gowing Brit. & Atomic Energy 1939–45 vi. 180 Outside German-occupied Europe, the main source of supply open to Germany was Portugal.
2000 Daily Tel. 5 Oct. 2/5 The only course open to him..was to call in a development for public inquiry.
c. Of a scholarship, competition, race, etc.: unrestricted as to who may enter or compete. Also: designating a person who has been successful in such a competition.
ΚΠ
1856 C. M. Yonge Daisy Chain i. iii. 22 I had rather stay another year here, get one of the open scholarships, and leave the Stoneborough ones for those who can do no better.
1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 21 Aug. 9/1 Claret Open Hunters' Stakes (Two miles).
1893 Dict. National Biogr. XXIV. 130 He was elected open scholar of Balliol College, Oxford.
1902 Westm. Gaz. 29 Oct. 12/2 The 42nd..won the merit cup in open competition in shooting.
1932 News Chron. 23 Sept. 2/4 The quarter-finals of the Canadian Women's Open Golf Championship.
1937 W. S. Churchill Great Contemp. 144 An uncle was prepared to help him through Oxford, but only on condition that he won an open scholarship.
1955 Britannica Bk. of Year 424/1 Principal United States Events [in golf]. Open championship, E. Furgol; Amateur championship, A. Palmer.
1991 J. H. Bailey Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives p. xii Funding..has been provided by..the Lily endowment for a Faculty Open Fellowship in 1982-83.
d. Originally U.S. Of a workplace: allowing both union and non-union workers to be employed. Frequently in open shop (cf. closed shop n. at closed adj. Compounds).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > types of workplace generally > [adjective] > for union or non-union workers
open1896
1896 Typogr. Jrnl. 9 445 Our next efforts were directed to the Morning Leader, also an ‘open’ office.
1904 N.Y. Evening Post 15 Aug. 2 The Exposition is conducted along the lines of an ‘open shop’, by permitting the employment of both union and non-union labor.
1906 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 1 Jan. 133 What is all this talk that's in the papers about the open shop?
1939 Sun (Baltimore) 18 Apr. 22/7 As a direct result of the shutting down of union mines.., ‘open-shop’ mines in Garret county..were working at maximum capacity.
1964 E. H. Powell in I. L. Horowitz New Sociol. 333 The open-shop crusade of the 'twenties was known as the ‘American plan’.
1993 Oxf. Econ. Papers (BNC) Jan. 23 In the USA there is a long-standing controversy about the effect of ‘right to work’ (RTW) laws, which effectively permit only open shop unions.
29. Free in giving or communicating; liberal, generous. Now only in open hand n. a generous disposition, liberality; cf. open-handed adj.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > giving > liberal giving > [adjective]
custyeOE
room-handeda1200
largea1225
free?c1225
plenteousc1350
bounteousc1374
liberalc1384
free-hearteda1398
ungnedea1400
royalc1405
opena1425
plentifula1475
profuse?a1475
ungrighta1475
lavishc1475
almifluent1477
prodigous1477
frank1484
bountiful1508
largifluent?a1525
munificent1565
magnificent1577
largeous1583
munifical1583
magnifical1586
free-handed1592
frolic1593
open-handed1593
magnific?1594
prodigal1595
goodwillya1598
communicativea1602
real1602
prodig1605
unniggard1605
generous1615
open-hearteda1617
large-handeda1628
unniggardly1628
fluent1633
profusive1638
numerous1655
largifical1656
insordid1660
unsparing1667
dispensive1677
expensive1678
wasteful1701
flush1703
unboundeda1704
genteel1741
munific1745
magnifique1751
ungrudginga1774
unstinting1845
brickish1860
flaithulach1876
princely1889
outgiving1896
sharing1922
two-handed1929
a1425 Dialogue Reason & Adversity (Cambr.) (1968) 33 (MED) Wanne he [sc. Job] was in his flouȝres of wordli auer, his handes were euere open to þe dedes of mercy.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Knychthede (1993) vii. 44 Jn largess of giftis, he had euer the hand opyn till all men.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) v. i. 56 Sir: Hauing often of your open Bounty tasted. View more context for this quotation
1695 W. Congreve Love for Love ii. i. 19 She has..a moist Palm, and an open Liberality on the Mount of Venus.
1712 S. Cobb Callipædia ii. 42 Nature in her Course, profusely kind,..With open Hand her various Blessings sows.
1768 T. Gray Triumphs of Owen in Poems 102 Liberal hand, and open heart.
a1825 A. L. Barbauld Legacy for Young Ladies (1826) 98 They reject and despise the gifts I offer them with open hand.
1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan i. ii. 180 How could he Have aught to leave?.. You know his hand was open.
1927 J. Buchan Witch Wood xv. 244 Peety for sae wise-like a lad, and him ay with the kind word and the open hand to puir folk.
1983 Christian Sci. Monitor (Nexis) 17 Feb. (Midwestern ed.) 20 They are the ones who really own the land, The pasture, and the woods—They lend them to us with an open hand.
30. Chiefly Agriculture. Of a female animal: available for mating, esp. for the first time; ready to bear young; not sterilized or spayed.
ΚΠ
a1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Digby) xi Men make hem [sc. bitches] yspayed, save þose men will kepe open to bere whelpes.
1788 W. Marshall Provincialisms E. Yorks. in Rural Econ. Yorks. II. 332 Gilts.., young female pigs, whether open or spayed.
1844 H. Stephen Bk. of Farm II. 235 A female that has not been cut, and before it bears young, gets the name of an open sow.
1947 in Amer. Speech 23 (1948) 50 When mares are left open that long, they may never settle or at best may become shy breeders.
1995 Farmers Weekly 21 July 101 (advt.) 16 pedigree served heifers, 16 pedigree open heifers, 6 pedigree bulls,..2 pregnancies and 10 embryos.
31. Of a person: not given to concealing thoughts or feelings; free in conversation; unreserved, frank, candid. Of a person's appearance, manner, etc.: revealing or suggesting such candour (cf. with (an) open face at sense 6b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > unaffectedness or naturalness > [adjective] > straightforward or frank
right fortha1382
plaina1393
free-hearteda1398
round1487
opena1535
sincere1539
frank1555
pert1567
single-hearted1574
single-minded1577
direct1586
open-hearted1593
open-breasted1594
transparent1600
unclose1606
unminced1648
even down1654
unreserved1654
rugged1678
plain sailing1707
whole-footed1744
sturdy1775
heart-in-mouth1827
jannock1828
straightforward1829
direct-dealing1830
undiplomatic1834
straight-ahead1836
straight-up-and-down1859
man to man1902
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 55/2 A good knight and a gentle,..plaine & open to his enemy, & secret to his frend.
c1571 E. Campion Two Bks. Hist. Ireland (1963) ii. ix. 117 Kildare was open and passionable, in his mode desperate.
1616 B. Jonson Epicœne i. iii, in Wks. I. 536 Come, you are a strange open man, to tell euery thing, thus. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vi. 611 To entertain them fair with open Front And Brest. View more context for this quotation
1709 J. Addison Tatler No. 97. ⁋6 I will be open and sincere with you.
1779 J. Moore View Society & Manners France (1789) II. liv. 44 An open manner, and undesigning civility, distinguish the German character.
1805 W. Wordsworth Waggoner iv. 147 With careless air and open mien.
1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xlviii. 526 My uncle said this in a pretty loud voice, and in an open unreserved sort of manner.
1885 W. D. Howells Rise Silas Lapham xii. 226 I wish Tom would be a little opener with me.
1925 W. Cather Professor's House i. xvii. 173 Tom..was far from frank, though he had such an open manner.
1956 P. Johnson Last Resort xxvii. 173 When he looked the most serene, the most open, he was most likely to be lying.
2000 M. Barrowcliffe Girlfriend 44 v. 160 Both DC Atkins and I have very confused sexualities, and we've both opted to be quite open about it with our colleagues.
32. Of a person or the mind: accessible to appeals, offers, emotions, ideas, etc.; receptive to new ideas or arguments. Also figurative. Cf. open mind n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > [adjective]
understandablea1382
understandinga1382
intellectivea1475
witted1528
receivable1548
intellectible1557
intelligenced1596
recipient1610
intelligential1646
susceptible1646
apprehending1656
open1672
intellected1791
receptive1817
the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > capacity for emotion > [adjective]
passiblec1384
susceptive1577
impressive1593
waxy1594
eath1596
impressible1626
mutual1657
responsive1657
open1672
susceptible1709
unsteeled1744
unblunted1775
sensate1788
affectible1796
tangible1813
suscipient1815
impressionable1833
impressional1860
unseared1860
reachable1873
passionful1902
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > [adjective] > responsive to ideas
open-hearteda1617
open1672
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > [adjective] > exercising reason
reasonablec1400
rational1598
fair1603
sober1638
intelligencing1658
unperverse1665
open1672
wise-like1816
sane1843
1672 G. Fox Jrnl. in S. B. Weeks South. Quakers & Slav. (1896) 39 The people being generally tender and open.
1738 B. Franklin Let. 13 Apr. (1987) 426 All that should be expected from me is to keep my Mind open to Conviction, to hear patiently and examine attentively whatever is offered me for that end.
1782 F. Burney Cecilia III. v. v. 66 She seems so open..to reproof..that I should hope in a short time she may also be open to conviction.
1822 W. Hazlitt Table-talk II. vi. 140 He was..open to impressions.
1865 M. Arnold Ess. Crit. ii. 48 Those whose intelligence is quickest, openest, most sensitive.
1892 H. James Atlantic Monthly Jan. 41/2 He was so open to suggestion.
1933 J. M. Barrie Let. 19 Dec. (1947) 268 I am..refusing to go out of doors lest the east winds make up on my bronchial tubes which are in the condition of being all right but open to offers.
1988 A. France Consuming Psychotherapy ii. 41 He didn't abandon his own views but was open to new suggestions.
33. Australian and New Zealand (now historical). Of land: available for settlement. to throw open: to make (land) so available.
ΚΠ
1830 Extract of Despatch: Progress of Settlement Swan River 3, in Parl. Papers XXI. 347 Being urged by further applications for land..I threw open the country..fifty miles southward from Perth.
1867 T. Cooper Digger's Diary (1978) 29 As a reefing country, I am convinced that the small portion of open land now available is wonderfully rich.
1944 F. Berkery East goes West 39 The Commonwealth authorities are anxious to have this land thrown open for occupation.
1948 W. H. Scotter Run, Estate & Farm 1 It was only after he saw that all the open country was taken up..that he..decided to cross the Waitaki River.
1992 R. Wright Stolen Continents (1993) xiv. 303 In 1893 the Cherokee Outlet—more than 10,000 square miles of prairie originally intended for Cherokee expansion—was thrown open to settlers.
Compounds
C1. With a noun forming a phrase used attributively.† open-view adj. Obsolete
open class adj.
ΚΠ
1844 ‘C. Selby’ Mysterious Stranger II. iii. 48 I've just seen him off, per rail... He took him in an open class carriage to keep him cool.
1938 Social Forces 16 354/1 The fraternity itself is a sort of miniature open-class social order.
1994 Outdoor Canada Mar. (Insert) 28 Open Class Indoor Retriever Field Trials.
open-deck adj.
ΚΠ
1886 Harper's Mag. June 18/2 In vessels of this class it is usual to have an open-deck battery.
1972 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 273 61 Many innovations in ship types..—articulated ships, open-deck ships, giant tankers, [etc.]
open-hand adj.
ΚΠ
1869 Young Gentleman's Mag. Jan. 23 The open-hand knot is one of the quickest made.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 412 The abdomen should be carefully kneaded, as also the muscles of the trunk and limbs, if the open-hand work is stood well.
1964 Footy Fan (Melbourne) 2 viii. 27 The ‘open hand pass’—hitting the ball with the front of the four fingers of the hand.
2002 L. A. Weekly (Nexis) 16 Aug. (News section) 12 He turned back and gave a full open-hand salute. ‘God save the king,’ he said.
open-seam adj.
ΚΠ
1910 Installation News Jan. 4/1 The much abused open-seam conduit and the socket joint conduit.
1968 E. A. McCourt Saskatchewan iii. 36 The most fascinating by-products of open-seam mining are the miniature mountain ranges formed of the clay stripped away to expose the coal seams.
open-type adj.
ΚΠ
1910 Westm. Gaz. 17 Feb. 5/1 In combination with a light, open-type body, the 80 by 130mm. engine can put up a speed on the road which would more than satisfy a number of drivers.
1986 Evening Press (Dublin) 21 May 8/4 I welcome today's more open-type education where young people are encouraged to..participate more democratically in the life of the school.
ΚΠ
1899 Westm. Gaz. 10 Nov. 4/2 An open-view balcony with balustrades in the roof.
open-web adj.
ΚΠ
1867 Sci. Amer. 15 June 374/2 The open-web girder..in its widest signification, includes all those classed under the various denominations of triangular, trellice, lattice, and truss.
2001 National Post (Canada) 26 May 4/6 In the 21st century..another pivotal change was the introduction of open-web floor joists.
C2. Parasynthetic.
a.
open-bladed adj.
ΚΠ
1866 Harper's Mag. Mar. 498/2 Tumbling out of his bunk with an open-bladed bowie-knife, threatening to cut all our throats.
1994 N. DeMille Spencerville xxxvii. 411 Billy examined the tip of the arrow, a razor-sharp, open-bladed broadhead made of high-quality steel.
open-collared adj.
ΚΠ
1891 Temple Bar May 119 The brothers..had not changed their thin, open-collared linen jackets.
1994 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) June 139 She wore open-collared shirts instead of cascading lace jabots.
open-flowered adj.
ΚΠ
1811 D. Hosack Hortus Elginensis (ed. 2) 82 (table) Star Wort..open flowered.
2000 Independent (Nexis) 17 June (Features section) 12 Roseraie de l'Hay: a wine-purple, open-flowered and bautifully scented member of the ‘rugosa’ family.
open-fronted adj.
ΚΠ
1840 U.S. Mag. & Democratic Rev. Feb. 147 Wicked habits and a seared conscience, all open-fronted and combined villany, all hypocrisy and sordidness, his soul hated.
1860 R. S. Surtees Plain or Ringlets? lvi. 206 The hermit's cave—an open-fronted room cut out in a rock.
1997 World Archaeol. 29 137 (caption) The Roman timber-faced quay..can be seen in the foreground, with the footings of an open-fronted warehouse behind it.
open-grained adj.
ΚΠ
1796 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 86 448 Its fractured..surface was open-grained, and crystallized.
1860 Ladies' Repository Nov. 695/2 Close-grained, heavy wood, like hickory and oak, gives out the most heat, while pine and poplar, being open grained, heat up the quickest.
1993 Collins Compl. DIY Man. (new ed.) ii. 77/3 Oil can be used on softwood as well as open-grained oily hardwoods, such as teak or afrormosia.
open-jointed adj.
ΚΠ
1820 T. Tredgold Elem. Princ. Carpentry 170 The arches are close-jointed..on the outside, but open jointed and indifferently built in the inside.
1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 36 So porous and open-jointed are some of the rocks of this series.
1992 Which? Bk. of Plumbing & Central Heating (BNC) 85 A better type of soakaway can be constructed by making a chamber with open-jointed walling.
open-lined adj.
ΚΠ
1845 Athenæum 11 Jan. 42 Open-lined engravings like Albert Durer's.
1997 A. M. Barry Visual Intelligence 48 An open-lined figure, even a series of dots, will be seen as a single triangle, a circle, and a square if, when adding ‘missing’ lines or dots, the resultant mental figures approximate those basic shapes.
open-patterned adj.
ΚΠ
1899 Cornhill Mag. Jan. 116 A straw armchair with an open-patterned seat.
1901 Daily News 19 Jan. 6/7 Bands of mink down either side of the front, enclosing a wider band of very open-patterned cut out cloth.
1992 Gazette (Nexis) 19 May (Living section) f3 Open-patterned, airy knits.
open-sided adj.
ΚΠ
1864 D. G. Mitchell Seven Stories, with Basement & Attic 118 An open-sided gallery which looked down upon a quiet interior court.
1901 Daily Chron. 7 Sept. 8/5 All through the exceptionally bad weather of last winter I used a pair of open-sided Dunlop road-racing tyres on a heavy roadster.
1996 Church Times 12 July 6/1 The day ended with a service held in an open-sided barn.
open-sleeved adj.
ΚΠ
1714 London Gaz. No. 5248/3 A Person in an Open-Sleev'd Gown.
1887 Cent. Mag. Nov. 42/2 He watched intently every motion of Rachel's arms only half-hidden in her open-sleeved dress.
1993 Daily News Record (U.S.) (Nexis) 23 Aug. What's in fashion are open-sleeved knit shirts..in bright colours.
open-spaced adj.
ΚΠ
1835 A. Ure Philos. Manuf. 401 Nine-tenths of the children are employed tending these open-spaced mules [sc. in a cotton-spinning room].
1912 Ann. Assoc. Amer. Geographers 2 90 The overlying strata include four resistant members..so grouped as to produce overlapping, close-set and open-spaced cuestas.
1992 Jrnl. Appl. Ecol. 29 757/2 Semi-natural forests with..a heterogeneous, open-spaced understorey.
open-windowed adj.
ΚΠ
1848 People's Press Apr. 50/1 In winter, a snug and cosy chamber, blazing with fun and firelight; in summer, an open-windowed apartment looking out upon a garden.
1918 Friends' Intelligencer 19 Oct. 659/2 By an unescapable spiritual gravitation the best things in the universe belong to open-hearted, open-windowed souls.
1993 B. Wood Rebel Angel (BNC) 228 The open-windowed room looked as if it was quite far away from the main body of the Workshops.
2004 W. Roberts in A.-T. Tymieniecka Metamorphosis i. 49 An entry porch, an open-windowed first floor balcony, and a second floor five-sided room.
b.
open-windowedness n. rare. Cf. open-endedness n., open-heartedness n., etc.
ΚΠ
1859 G. A. Sala Twice round Clock (1861) 8 Shops wide open, staringly open,..yawning with a jolly ha! ha! of open-windowedness on the bye-strollers.
C3. † open-crib adj. Obsolete rare (of timbering) having cribs separated from each other at intervals. † openfounded adj. Obsolete rare based on plain or obvious facts.† open-front n. Obsolete rare a blast furnace arranged with a fore-hearth.† open-housedness n. Obsolete rare the fact or quality of being open-housed.† open household n. Obsolete = open house n. 1.† open-meated adj. Obsolete rare (of cheese) juicy. † open-sand moulding n. Founding Obsolete rare the moulding of items in a sand mould set in the floor, without a cover.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.† open-steek adj. Scottish Needlework Obsolete characterized by openwork stitching.† open-step adj. Firearms Obsolete rare (of a gunsight) consisting of parallel metal bars arranged like the rungs of a ladder.† open tithe n. Obsolete (apparently) = great tithe n. at great adj., n., adv., and int. Compounds 1e.† open-visaged adj. Obsolete rare having the face uncovered.
open admission n. U.S. Education the policy of a college, university, or university system to admit as a student any person who meets various basic requirements, such as high-school graduation and state residency; usually in plural; cf. open enrolment n.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > educational administration > [noun] > admission
admission1588
numerus clausus1886
open admission1960
open enrolment1964
1960 N.Y. Times 4 Dec. iv. 7/3 Ten more states practice open admissions as a matter of policy.
1976 Times 13 Jan. 7/4 There were three basic principles at [New York's] City University: quality education, free tuition and open admission.
1994 Jrnl. Blacks Higher Educ. 4 86/1 The university has an open admissions policy, which admits severely underprepared students.
open adoption n. a form of adoption in which the biological parents participate in the process of placing the child with an adoptive family and may continue to have contact thereafter; contrasted with closed adoption n. at closed adj. Additions.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > [noun] > adoptive or foster relationship > adoption
adoption1340
arrogation1565
affiliation1623
whangai1948
third party adoption1965
open adoption1973
closed adoption1977
1973 Jrnl. Asian Stud. 32 735/1 The interpretations regarding motives and regarding the functional consequences of open adoption range from psychological to cultural ones... Western culture tends to understress the social potentials of adoptive relationships.
1990 Nation (N.Y.) 31 Dec. 842/2 Recent court decisions (not to mention social customs like open adoption, blended families and gay and lesbian co-parenting) have tended to respect a widening circle of adult relationships with children.
2001 N.Y. Times Mag. 9 Dec. 88/1 Fueled by renewed faith in the importance of genes and by the victories of open-adoption advocates, the so-called identity-release movement is now leading sperm banks across the country to change the way they do business.
open-angle adj. Ophthalmology designating a type of glaucoma in which there is no obstruction to the drainage of aqueous humour through the angle of the anterior chamber.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of eye > [adjective] > glaucoma
glaucomatous1834
glaucomatic1852
open-angle1938
1936 Trans. Amer. Acad. Ophthalmol. & Otolaryngol. 41 478 Cases of chronic glaucoma Type I with open angle.]
1938 Amer. Jrnl. Ophthalmol. 21 1107/2 When iridectomy was directed against other varieties of uncreased intraocular pressure (for instance, the deep-chamber an open-angle type) failures were..recorded.
1990 Time 23 Apr. 99/3 Early treatment of open-angle glaucoma with eyedrop drugs like levobunolol hydrochloride..slows production of the aqueous humor and relieves the pressure.
open architecture n. Computing an architecture (architecture n. 6) that has been made public and is not proprietary, and which may therefore form the basis of competing products (such as add-on hardware) offered by a variety of companies.
ΚΠ
1982 Computerworld 25 Jan. 42/1 We believe that SNA is the most open architecture in the industry today, supporting the widest variety of terminals of any vendor.]
1982 Computerworld 19 July 11/2 Our unique advantage is open architecture—the ability to interface with other manufacturers' office automation products to a greater extent than our competitors.
2001 Times 10 Oct. (Winning Touch Suppl.) 3/1 Mr. Darling has faced challenges..: the transition from working on home computers with open architecture to providing consoles like those made by Sega and Nintendo [etc].
open back n. Bookbinding = loose back n. at loose adj., n.2, and adv. Compounds 2; cf. fastback n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > type of binding > [noun]
antiquing1728
royal binding1808
Russia binding1817
gothique1818
half-binding1821
Roxburghe1839
paper cover1843
trade binding1874
tree-calf1879
Grolier1880
yapp1883
cloth-work1885
publisher's binding1885
tree-marble1885
treed calf1892
presentation binding1893
quarter leather1894
quarter calf1896
three-quarter binding1897
library binding1903
circuit-binding1909
publisher's cloth1911
quarter binding1912
loose back1923
open back1923
spring-back1923
spiral binding1949
1923 H. A. Maddox Dict. Stationery 56 Letter~press books are either ‘fast back’..or ‘open back’ (in which case the book has a false back or is actually cased).
1961 T. Landau Encycl. Librarianship (ed. 2) 268/2 Open back, a style of construction in which the cover is separated from the spine of the book by a special lining... Also called Hollow and Loose Back.
open bar n. chiefly U.S. a bar at which customers do not pay for drinks, the cost being covered by the host or proprietor, or included in an admission fee.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > drinking place > [noun] > tap-room or bar > other bars
public bar1654
American bar1856
wine room1865
last chance saloon1869
four-ale1883
private bar1892
saloon bar1902
cocktail bar1908
cocktail lounge1934
porter bar1935
lounge bar1937
wine bar1938
dive bar1940
gay bar1947
open bar1947
piano bar1947
sherry-bar1951
public1957
leather bar1961
private1963
ouzeri1964
karaoke bar1977
1947 H. Eustis Horizontal Man 85 I had dreams of getting out my pipe and slippers and pulling up to a big open bar with you tonight.
1960 N.Y. Times 2 June 16/4 An open bar but nothing to eat except salted nuts, pretzels and potato chips.
1998 Time Out N.Y. 31 Dec. 115/2 A steep-as-hell cover charge, but it includes open bar and dinner.
open-bellied adj. †(a) ruptured (obsolete rare); †(b) having a rounded shape (obsolete rare); (c) (supposedly) having an abdominal pouch (now historical).
ΚΠ
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Gualloroso, burst, open bellied.
1755 J. Smith Printer's Gram. 78 The Sections which are open-bellied..make no bad figure when they are put the flat way.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VII. 137 The Open-bellied Crocodile..is furnished with a false belly like the opossum, where the young creep out and in as their dangers and necessities require.
1930 Science 18 July 69/2 Some of which details..—for example, the ‘open-bellied crocodile’ that carries its young in an abdominal pouch—are obviously fiction.
open bite n. Dentistry lack of occlusion of the front teeth when the jaw is closed normally.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of mouth > [noun] > disorders of teeth
scale1594
caries1634
tartar1806
odontolith1848
malocclusion1864
pulpitis1869
odontome1870
pericementitis1882
cementoma1893
open bite1893
plaque1898
super-eruption1912
mulberry molar1917
Moon1918
retroclusion1928
bruxism1932
overclosure1934
overeruption1961
1893 M. A. Smale & J. F. Colyer Dis. & Injuries Teeth ii. 14 Lack of anterior occlusion, or open bite may be caused in several ways—by thumb, finger, lip or tongue sucking [etc.].
1975 W. J. B. Houston Orthodontic Diagnosis iv. 36 A skeletal open bite can not be satisfactorily treated by attempting to extrude the anterior teeth which have already grown as much as possible.
1993 Brit. Jrnl. Orthodontics 20 94/2 Dentally, she has a bilateral cross-bite with anterior open-bite.
Open Board n. chiefly U.S. an association formed to transact dealings in options on a small scale not permitted by the local board of trade.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > [noun] > dealer in stocks and shares > syndicate, pool, or association
Open Board1862
option pool1889
concert party1973
daisy chain1982
1862 N.Y. Times 20 Nov. 4/4 (heading) The Movement for an Open Board of Brokers.
1902 G. H. Lorimer Lett. Merchant ix. 113 If she is the daughter of old Job Dashkam, on the open Board, I should say..that she was a fine girl to let some other fellow marry.
1995 South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) 2 Feb. 2/4 It was set up as a closed-end fund so that it could..trade on the open board of the Stock Exchange of Thailand.
Open Brethren n. one of the two principal divisions of the Plymouth Brethren (the other being the Exclusive Brethren), formed in 1849 as a result of doctrinal differences and characterized by a less rigorous and exclusive approach; the members of this denomination.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > sect > Christianity > Protestantism > Plymouth Brethren > [noun] > person > collective > non-separatist
Open Brethren1879
1879 A. Miller Brethren v. 66 The new motto on the standard of the Open Brethren was, ‘The blood of the Lamb is the union of the saints.’
1909 Encycl. Relig. & Ethics II. 845/2 The ‘Open’ Brethren..fraternize freely with other Christians.
1985 A. Walker Restoring Kingdom (1988) xi. 243 The Open Brethren have kept the Lord's table open to all who confess Jesus Christ as Lord.
open carry n. U.S. the practice of carrying a firearm visibly on one's person in public; an instance of this; often attributive (cf. concealed carry n. at concealed adj. Compounds).
ΚΠ
1985 C. Prescott Asset in Black xi. 156 He put his field holster with his luggage;..it wasn't time yet for an open carry.
1995 N.Y. Times 3 Sept. iv. 1/4 While many police officials staunchly oppose more guns on the streets, some openly wonder whether open-carry legislation would be the lesser of two evils.
2015 Texas Monthly (Nexis) Apr. 98 Since concealed carry is legal, the ban on open carry is basically a mandate about clothes.
open cell adj. involving or consisting of open cells; spec. designating a foam in which the cells interconnect, rendering the foam highly compressible and absorbent.
ΚΠ
1905 Science 31 Mar. 494/2 Two open-cell constant-current batteries supply the necessary current.
1933 Amer. Speech 8 30 Open-cell wing, division of the main prison building in which there were no bars on the front of the cells.
1971 C. Bonington Annapurna South Face App. B. 243 A thin layer of open-cell foam in the sleeves.
2001 Techn. Guide (YHA Adventure Shops) Summer 70/1 A modern backpacking sack with a stable and comfortable back system, using open cell mesh to reduce dampness caused by perspiration.
open chain n. [after French chaîne ouverte (A. Kekulé 1865, in Bull. de la Soc. Chim. de Paris 3 100)] Chemistry an open-ended chain of atoms with no closed rings; frequently attributive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > atomic chemistry > [noun] > molecules > other molecules
supermolecule1834
open chain1880
excimer1960
exciplex1966
superatom1972
1880 Athenæum 11 Dec. 781/3 Experiments which prove the diactinic character of substances constructed on an open chain of carbon compounds.
1928 C. T. Kingzett Chem. Encycl. (ed. 4) 131 Open chains are regarded as having terminal atoms not mutually in combination, by which..aliphatic combinations, such as the olefines and paraffins, are characterized.
1987 A. Nickon & E. F. Silversmith Org. Chem.: Name Game iii. 32 ‘Newman projections’ for conformational isomers of open-chain and cyclic structures are also brain-children of the same Ohio professor.
open cheque n. (a) an uncrossed cheque; (b) a cheque for an unstated amount; also figurative.
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society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > cheques and drafts > [noun] > cheque > uncrossed
open cheque1882
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > cheques and drafts > [noun] > cheque > for unstated amount
open cheque1882
blank cheque1932
blank cheque-
1882 R. Bithell Counting-house Dict. 212 Open cheque, an uncrossed cheque, payable to Bearer or to Order on presentation.
1934 L. Charteris Boodle ix. 201 I got an open cheque and took it straight round to his bank.
1989 P. Lewis Fifties: Portrait of Period (BNC) The war-time legacy of the five-shilling legal maximum on restaurant bills was an open cheque for profiteers to pose as restaurateurs.
1991 T. Barnes Dead Meat (BNC) 96 He scribbled out..an open cheque to cover the cost of the groceries and the taxi.
open-chested adj. (a) having a well-expanded ribcage; not narrow-chested; (b) having a posture with the chest fully visible, or the body facing the observer.
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the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > front > [adjective] > chest > types of
big-chested1594
broad-breasted1647
broad-chesteda1661
open-chested1823
bluff-chested1851
barrel-chested1961
1823 Lancet 5 Oct. 27/1 The pulmonary arteries of open-chested persons easily accommodate themselves to those frequent torrents.
1851 Harper's Mag. May 766/1 The syce [i.e. a groom], Sidhoo, was a smart, open-chested, sinewy-limbed little fellow.
1961 Times 16 May 4/1 On the back foot he is inclined to be open-chested.
2001 Guardian (Nexis) 6 Dec. (Sport section) 31 He has mustered a hostility that few..ever imagined, his run-up longer and straighter.., his delivery, to avoid further back trouble, more open-chested.
open city n. an undefended city; spec. a city declared to be unfortified and undefended and so, by international law, exempt from enemy attack.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > [noun] > open town or city
open town1720
open citya1832
a1832 S. E. Brydges Moral Axioms (1837) i. 39 To his own passions who a victim falls, Is like an open city without walls.
1914 Duchess of Sutherland Six Weeks at War p. xii Unfortunately Namur is not an open city so she suffered for a short time from horrors worse than ‘moral effect’.
1990 W. P. Roe Glimpses of Chiwick's Place in Hist. (BNC) 88 On 4th June 1944, the Allied forces in Italy managed to reach Rome—which had been declared an ‘open city’ (i.e. not to be damaged or destroyed by the conflicting forces).
open classroom n. Education (chiefly U.S.) a child-centred educational system in which the focus is on activities involving multidisciplinary skills rather than traditional subject courses; a room where such teaching takes place.
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society > education > place of education > educational buildings > [noun] > school > schoolroom > types of
study placec1667
study hall1813
shop1871
homeroom1884
open classroom1969
1967 N.Y. Times 20 Aug. viii. 1/3 The alteration project includes an experimental ‘open classroom’ designed to take advantage of the..extensive areas of open space.]
1969 H. R. Kohl (title) The open classroom: a practical guide to a new way of teaching.
1971 Amer. Educ. May 12/3 The three open classrooms in the primary unit are..characterized by family grouping, an integrated school day, and an integrated curriculum.
1995 Wired Mar. 32/2 The public-school establishment..has spent the last 40 years perusing various versions of open classrooms, discovery learning, and child-centered education.
open cluster n. Astronomy a loose grouping of young stars (younger and bluer than those in a globular cluster), such as the Pleiades.
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1893 J. E. Gore Visible Universe x. 169 Another fine open cluster will be found a little north following β Ophiuchii.
1927 H. N. Russell et al. Astron. II. xxiii 791 The number of open clusters which have so far been catalogued is about 200.
1995 K. Crosswell Alchemy of Heavens iv. 44 The nearest open clusters are the Hyades and the Pleiades, both in the constellation Taurus.
open college n. an educational institution offering a range of flexible training and vocational courses for adults, esp. one that uses distance-learning techniques; cf. open university n.
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1976 Secondary Educ. June 6/1 Another local initiative has resulted in an ‘Open College’ course designed by our own staff and validated by Lancaster University.
1993 Independent on Sunday 4 Apr. (Business section) 27/2 Then in 1987 came the Open College, providing further education and vocational training through workbooks and audio and video cassettes.
2001 Evening Tel. (Electronic ed.) 8 Jan. 17 Community Education East is also offering an introductory Open College Network qualification in working with children.
open communion n. Christian Church (among Baptists) communion administered to or celebrated with any Christian believer, including those baptized other than in accordance with Baptist principles.
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1794 J. Morse Amer. Geogr. (ed. 3) 223 Except those who are styled ‘open communion baptists’,..they refuse to communicate in the ordinance of the Lord's Supper with other denominations.
1877 Westm. Rev. Oct. 389 The English Presbyterian Church,..was distinguished from the Baptists and Independents by the practice of free and open communion.
1991 Jrnl. Brit. Stud. 30 338 Baptist churches practicing open communion probably experienced the highest growth rates in baptisms.
open community n. Ecology a plant community that does not completely cover the ground; cf. open vegetation n.
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the world > life > biology > balance of nature > environment or habitat > [noun] > types of
supralittoral1839
refuge1889
refugium1902
home range1904
open vegetation1905
open community1909
controlled environment1914
palaeoenvironment1957
1909 Bot. Gaz. 47 97 The vegetation consisted..of an open community of the following constituents: [etc.].
1945 W. O. Howarth & L. G. G. Warne Lowson's Textbk. Bot. (ed. 9) xxi. 515 In ‘open’ communities the individuals are spaced out, and hence the unoccupied spaces may be colonised by plants from outside.
1991 R. J. Pankhurst & J. M. Mullin Flora of Outer Hebrides 34 On shallow soils and exposed sites, open communities occurred with..Lycopodium selago, [etc.].
open company n. now historical = regulated company n. at regulated adj. Compounds.
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?1748 Let. to Member of Parl. conc. Afr. Trade 1 A regulated or open Company of African Traders of London, Bristol, and Liverpool.
1841 J. R. Jackson What to Observe iv. iii. 313 Open companies are not now common, but in their nature and organization they are superior to joint stock trading companies.
1887 North-eastern Daily Gaz. (Middlesbrough) 23 Mar. Commercial monopolies, in the shape of open companies and joint stock companies, were created.
2005 J. A. Rawley & S. D. Behrendt Transatlantic Slave Trade (rev. ed.) viii. 151 The Society by turns strove to break the Royal African Company's monopoly,..to establish by law an open company, [etc.].
open-concept adj. originally Canadian = open plan adj.
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1978 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 1 Sept. 1 Visitors wandered around the open-concept interior, helping themselves to refreshments,..and admiring the hanging sculpture that danced and gleamed at the centre of it all.
1994 Select Homes & Food Sept. 25 The Charltons started by converting a family-room addition..into a new open-concept kitchen.
open-countenanced adj. having an appearance suggesting frankness, candour, or simplicity of character; cf. with (an) open face at sense 6b.
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the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > types of face > [adjective]
flatc1400
hardc1400
low-cheeredc1400
large?a1425
ruscledc1440
well-visagedc1440
platter-faced1533
well-faced1534
full-faced1543
fair-faced1553
bright-faceda1560
crab-faced1563
crab-snouted1563
crab-tree-faced1563
long-visaged1584
owlya1586
wainscot-faced1588
flaberkin1592
rough-hewn1593
angel-faced1594
round-faced1594
crab-favoured1596
rugged1596
weasel-faced1596
rough-faced1598
half-faced1600
chitty1601
lenten-faced1604
broad-faced1607
dog-faced1607
weaselled-faced1607
wry-faced1607
maid-faced1610
warp-faced1611
ill-faceda1616
lean-faceda1616
old-faceda1616
moon-faced1619
monkey-faced1620
chitty-face1622
chitty-faceda1627
lean-chapt1629
antic-faced1635
bloat-faced1638
bacon-facea1640
blue-faced1640
hatchet-faced1648
grave1650
lean-jawed1679
smock-faced1684
lean-visaged1686
flaber1687
baby-faced1692
splatter-faced1707
chubby1722
puggy1722
block-faced1751
haggard-looking1756
long-faced1762
haggardly1763
fresh-faced1766
dough-faced1773
pudding-faced1777
baby-featured1780
fat-faced1782
haggard1787
weazen-face1794
keen1798
ferret-like1801
lean-cheeked1812
mulberry-faced1812
open-faced1813
open-countenanced1819
chiselled1821
hatchety1821
misfeatured1822
terse1824
weazen-faced1824
mahogany-faced1825
clock-faced1827
sharp1832
sensual1833
beef-faced1838
weaselly1838
ferret-faced1840
sensuous1843
rat-faced1844
recedent1849
neat-faced1850
cherubimical1854
pinch-faced1859
cherubic1860
frownya1861
receding1866
weak1882
misfeaturing1885
platopic1885
platyopic1885
pro-opic1885
wind-splitting1890
falcon-face1891
blunt-featured1916
bun-faced1927
fish-faced1963
1819 C. Lamb in Examiner 4 July 429/2 Miss Stevenson is a fine open-countenanced lass.
1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Miner's Right III. xxxiv. 97 A respectably-dressed, open-countenanced miner.
1997 Denver Post (Nexis) 25 July (Weekend section) f22 Hallahan, as the misguided Monsieur Jourdain, is so pathetically eager, so brimming with open-countenanced enthusiasm and so totally clueless, audiences can't help but love him.
open cover n. a marine cargo insurance policy covering all shipments made by a person or firm without specification in advance of the details of each shipment.
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society > trade and finance > financial dealings > insurance > [noun] > other types of insurance
reassurance1702
reinsurance1705
fire insurance1721
marine insurance1787
credit insurance1818
self-insurance1829
guarantee fund1848
industrial assurance1850
industrial insurance1853
fidelity guarantee1880
title insurance1882
open cover1884
rain check1884
co-insurance1889
franchise1895
health insurance1901
casualty insurance1902
travel insurance1912
fidelity insurance1930
medigap1966
fidelity bond1970
1884 D. Owen Marine Insurance (ed. 2) 56 (heading) Agreement to execute policies. (Off open cover.)
1928 F. W. S. Poole Marine Insurance of Goods iv. 59 Open covers provide the merchant with continuous protection, enabling him to calculate the insurance charges for shipments ahead.
1960 Times 24 Oct. (Financial Review) p. xiii/2 It was to meet this convenience that the ‘open cover’ type of policy was developed.
open credit n. Finance credit free of restrictions; a letter, note, etc., authorizing such credit.
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society > trade and finance > management of money > solvency > [noun] > credit > without restriction
open credit1895
1895 Jrnl. Polit. Econ. 3 478 The withdrawing of money..will probably only leave more to be done by means of bills of exchange and open credit.
1920 J. Stephenson Princ. & Pract. Commerc. Corr. iii. iv. 186 I..now beg to inquire whether you would be inclined to open an Account Current with me, granting me an open credit of £875.
1985 Jrnl. Lat. Amer. Stud. 17 393 An open credit from Barings which could be used to make remittances or buy cotton, whichever was necessary.
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1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 160 Open-crib timbering, shaft timbering with cribs alone, placed at intervals.
open crown n. Heraldry a crown without an arched-over top; a badge or ornament resembling this.
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1869 J. E. Cussans Handbk. Heraldry (rev. ed.) xvii. 225 The earliest coins struck by Henry the Seventh bear an open Crown with fleur-de-lys on the rim.
1880 Fraser's Mag. Feb. 242 After this, instead of the open crown, we find in the regalia of Denmark the later crown with closed curvatures.
1992 Coin Monthly Feb. 46/1 The first type of penny from the archiepiscopal mint..has an open crown and the initial ‘M’ in the centre of the reverse.
open cycle n. Engineering a cycle of operations in which a working fluid, coolant, etc., is used only once.
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the world > action or operation > [adjective] > relating to single use of fuel or fluid
open cycle1950
the world > action or operation > [noun] > a form or kind of operation > with single use of fuel or fluid
open cycle1950
1950 Nucleonics Mar. 47/1 The open cycle system is generally practical only with a plentiful and inexpensive coolant like air or water, except in the case of a rocket drive.
1971 M. M. El-Wakil Nucl. Energy Conversion vii. 200 In designing open cycles, the extent of induced radioactivity in the coolant and its effects on plant and surroundings should be carefully evaluated.
1989 Encycl. Brit. XVIII. 523/1 The efficiency of the open-cycle system can be substantially increased by recovering the energy remaining in the gas stream with conventional methods.
open enrolment n. Education (originally U.S.) the prerogative, granted to students or their parents, to choose which school to attend from a range of available options; (also) = open admission n.
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society > education > educational administration > [noun] > admission
admission1588
numerus clausus1886
open admission1960
open enrolment1964
1964 N.Y. Times 12 Jan. e11/1 The New York system in 1960 inaugurated a policy of ‘open enrollment’ which permitted youngsters from designated predominantly non-white schools to apply for transfer to designated predominantly white schools.
1990 B. Davies et al. Educ. Managem. for 1990s (BNC) 46 Parents..will move their children to another school by exercising choice through the mechanism of open enrolments.
open era n. (also with capital initial(s)) Tennis the period beginning in April 1968, when professional players were first allowed to compete in the four Grand Slam championships and other prestigious tennis tournaments which had previously been restricted to amateur players.In some (esp. early) use, perhaps not as a fixed collocation, but an attributive use of open n. 6.
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1969 Daily Times-News (Burlington, N. Carolina) 27 Aug. 2 b/4 Gunning for the first Grand Slam of the Open era.
1988 A. Ashe in N.Y. Times 28 Aug. (Sports section) 10/6 The growth of tennis has been spotty in the open era.
2016 R. Haynes BBC Sport in Black & White xiv. 288 His [sc. Jack Kramer's] impact on the sport..paved the way for the open era of tennis.
open file n. see file n.2 9.
open floor n. Building a floor with exposed joists and no ceiling on the underside; cf. open roof n.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > floor > [noun] > types of
parlour floor1441
causey1481
pediment1747
working floor1747
parquet1814
parquet floor1819
subfloor1838
straight-joint floor1842
parquet flooring1845
working floor1850
dallage1856
nightingale floor1914
open floor1932
floating floor1934
1932 T. Corkhill Conc. Building Encycl. 146 Open floor, one with exposed joists, not covered by a ceiling.
1984 J. S. Scott Penguin Dict. Building (ed. 3) 229 Open floor, a floor, in which the joists are exposed beneath, since it is not ceiled.
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the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > [adjective] > supported by evidence
authorizeda1500
corroborate1532
openfounded1571
justifieda1586
witnessedc1595
exampled1600
attested1611
exemplified1613
voucheda1616
1571 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Psalmes of Dauid with Comm. (xlix. 10) An openfounded doctrine, that cannot escape the knowledge even of the rudest.
open-frame n. and adj. (a) n. an unenclosed frame; a frame which is not filled in; (b) adj. consisting of or relating to an open frame; spec. (of a girder) vertically articulated, not braced by any diagonal supports.
ΚΠ
1824 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 114 4 An open frame of bell-metal..so contrived, as to present to least possible surface to obstruct the telescope.
1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 595/2 Open-frame girder, a girder consisting of upper and lower booms connected at intervals by (usually) vertical members, and not braced by any diagonal members.
1969 Jane's Freight Containers 1968–9 477/2 Tilt covered open-frame containers are available.
1984 R. Meier Richard Meier 217 The railed pit with a stairway leading down into it, underneath an open-frame canopy, is an excavation site.
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1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 160 Open-front, the arrangement of a blast furnace with a fore-hearth.
open gaited adj. now rare (of a horse) having a gait in which the hind feet overreach the outside limits of the forward ones.
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1869 Galaxy Mar. 418 ‘What are the peculiarities of the gait of Hambletonian and his progeny?’ ‘Stride long, open-gaited behind, great knee action.’
1894 14th Rep. Vermont State Board Agric. 97 His sire being Allen, his dame Lady Alice..he is a pure open-gaited trotter.
2000 Associated Press Newswire (Oklahoma) (Nexis) 12 May Green country fox trotting and open gaited horse show.
open go n. Australian colloquial an unimpeded opportunity; a fair chance.
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the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > [noun] > chance or opportunity
chance1297
occasiona1382
opportunitya1387
fair play?a1500
main chance1577
venturea1625
opening1752
ettle1768
slant1837
sporting chance1897
open go1918
a fair crack of the whip1929
1918 Twenty-Second's Echo 15 May 3 We did not get an open go in the way of food nor medical attention.
1973 Bulletin (Sydney) 25 Aug. 24/1 This intimidatory behavior, the company charges, contrasts with the ‘open go’ policy being afforded two other major prawning operators in the region.
open goal n. Football an undefended goal; a goal scored into this; also figurative.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > association football > [noun] > actions or manoeuvres
holding1866
hand-balling1867
left-footer1874
header1875
handball1879
goal kick1881
corner1882
spot kick1884
middle1899
clearance1920
cross-kick1927
cross-pass1929
body swerve1933
open goal1934
headball1936
chip1939
through-ball1956
wall pass1958
outswinger1959
cross1961
overlap1969
blooter1976
hospital pass1978
route one1978
sidefoot1979
top bin1999
ankle-biting2001
1934 D. Jack Soccer 36 I always endeavoured to draw him near enough to me to indulge in a feint or a dribble past him to an open goal.
1972 G. Green Great Moments in Sport: Soccer xv. 134 Sadler..gave Henrique..the chance to save an open goal with his feet after Best had mesmerised and opened the defence with a dazzling dribble.
1986 Marxism Today Sept. 17/1 Some of the very important debates like those on Cheltenham, which was an open goal for the trade union movement, were just buried without trace.
open harmony n. Music harmony in which the notes of the chords are widely spaced.
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1876 J. Stainer & W. A. Barrett Dict. Musical Terms 327/1 Open Harmony, chords formed by as equidistant a disposition of the parts as possible.
1931 M. M. Bozman tr. P. Bekker Richard Wagner v. i. 466 The supplementation of the open harmony of keynote and fifth by the complementary third.
1983 New Oxf. Compan. Music I. 421/1 When the notes are fairly widely spaced, a passage is said to be in ‘open’ harmony.
open-housed adj. now rare = open house adj.
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society > leisure > social event > hospitality > [adjective] > hospitable
harborous1526
hospitable1570
hospital1570
harboursome1584
hospitalious1596
hospitious?1611
entertaining1640
xenodochial1716
open-housed1804
open house1836
open-doored1842
1804 A. Seward Mem. Dr. Darwin 6 Open-housed hospitality.
1870 R. S. Hawker Footprints Former Men Cornwall 68 The last of the jovial open-housed squires of the West of England.
2001 Derby Evening Telegraph (Nexis) 19 Sept. (Local section) 16 A lot of them [sc. parents with 20-plus children at home] pretended to be ‘lumbered’ but most had a friendly, tolerant, open-housed approach to their older home-birds.
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1900 Nation 71 286/2 Perhaps the custom is a useful check on hospitality, for there is no other that I can see to the Englishman's open-housedness, once you are presented with a proper recommendation.
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society > leisure > social event > hospitality > [noun] > liberal
open householdc1450
housekeeping1538
open table1602
open house1824
c1450 (c1425) Brut (Cambr. Kk.1.12) 343 Iustes & turnement were holden at London in Smithfelde, for alle maner of strayngers,..and to hem and to alle oþer was holden opon housholde and grete ffestis.
1562 J. Heywood Sixt Hundred Epigrammes To Rdr., in Wks. sig. Bbiiiv Cum who cum wyll, here is open housholde.
1896 Dict. National Biogr. XLVIII. 182/2 The queen now kept ‘open household’ in Cheshire.
open housing n. chiefly U.S. property that can be rented or bought without restriction on racial or ethnic grounds.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > a dwelling > a house > [noun] > collectively > type of
model dwellings1851
model1887
tenantry1905
row housing1920
social housing1928
open housing1958
tobacco housing1960
twilight housing1971
co-housing1988
1939 Illinois: Descriptive & Hist. Guide (Federal Writers' Project) i. 466 The Public Works Administration Administration has built several large open housing developments in run-down neighbourhoods.]
1958 N.Y. Times 28 May 22/3 Veterans Association and Federal Housing Administration loans..should be made available only on a strict open housing basis.
1966 Guardian 29 Aug. 7/2 The agreement provides for stronger enforcement of open-housing regulations.
1991 W. D. Heating in E. D. Huttman Urban Housing Segregation of Minorities in Western Europr & U.S. xx. 372 Court-ordered mandatory fair-housing policies do not necessarily change the opinions of many residents on open housing.
open interest n. Finance (originally U.S.) the contracts or commitments outstanding in a commodity or options market at any one time.
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society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > [noun] > traffic in stocks and shares > contracts in market
open interest1892
1892 N.Y. Times 25 Feb. 1/3 In order to arrive at a satisfactory and trustworthy estimate of the average ‘open interest’ in wheat in this market, a careful canvass of the matter has been made.
1959 E. E. Nemmers Dict. Econ. & Business 206 Open interest, in trading, the amount of a commodity required to satisfy unliquidated futures contracts at any given time.
1981 G. Chamberlain Trading in Options ii. 15 A broker will be able to provide up-to-date information regarding the open-interest position (i.e. the number of listed option contracts outstanding (open) at any particular time).
1995 Financial Post (Canada) 8 Nov. 5/3 The huge increase in activity on Toronto 35 index options contracts..produced a huge increase in so-called open interest—a measure of the number of contracts waiting to be closed out.
open jaw adj. (also open jaws) designating or relating to a flight where a passenger flies to one destination and returns from another.
ΚΠ
1942 Official Aviation Guide of Airways July 104/1 Circle ‘open-jaw’ and round-trip fares are usually 10% less than the sum of the..one-way..fares.
1985 Sydney Morning Herald 27 July 31/5 An open jaws ticket is one which permits a traveller to break a journey..and pick up the normal benefits of a return fare at a different city.
1992 High Life (Brit. Airways) Nov. 8/1 There is what is aptly called a 7 night ‘open jaw’ fly drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco..starting at an equally jaw dropping £395.
open jet n. a stream of air in a wind tunnel which is not bounded by rigid walls in the working section.
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the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > fluid dynamics > [noun] > aerodynamics > wind tunnels > specific stream of air in
open jet1932
1932 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 36 999 In a tunnel of any sort the provision of an open jet calls for rather more power than a walled-in jet would need.
1994 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 257 228/1 A living adult male swallow was positioned just outside the nozzle of an open-jet, open-circuit wind tunnel.
open juncture n. Linguistics a juncture (juncture n. 2c) characteristic of boundaries between words and marked syllable division within words.
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the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > [noun] > transition between sounds > types of
open juncture1941
plus juncture1951
terminal juncture1951
1941 Language 17 225 The transition from a pause preceding an isolated utterance to the first segmental phoneme, and from the last segmental phoneme to the following pause, we call open juncture.
1966 W. S. Allen in C. E. Bazell In Memory of J. R. Firth 11 This..would have been contrary to Greek junctural principles (being characteristic of close and not open juncture).
1983 P. Poach Eng. Phonetics & Phonology (BNC) 131 [Can] ‘internal open juncture’..actually be heard? Experimental work..suggests that in many cases it is not perceptible unless a speaker is deliberately trying to avoid ambiguity.
open-kneed adj. (a) (of breeches) that are loose at the knees; (b) (of a person) with knees wide apart.
ΚΠ
1691 W. Mountfort Greenwich-Park i. i. 2 They wore slash Doublets, short Cloaks, and open-knee'd Breeches.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 57 My Breeches..were only Linnen and open knee'd.
1835 C. J. Latrobe Rambler in N. Amer. II. xii. 222 They land upon the wharfs of New York in rags and open-knee'd breeches.
1978 Colby Libr. Q. Sept. 126 A great many figures in Blake's work of a Urizenic nature or suffering from Urizen's restrictions sit thus open-kneed, with or without an open book.
2013 C. Loomis in D. Barrett-Graves Emblematic Queen iii. 65 Classical and pagan historical figures are also depicted in an open-kneed posture and are often nude, but their genitals are generally draped.
open-label adj. Medicine = sense 25c.
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1973 Canad. Psychiatric Assoc. Jrnl. 18 393 The method was an open label cross-over study with individually adjusted doses.
1993 New Scientist 17 Apr. 4/2 Wellcome wants the results analysed in a different way, excluding those who switched from ‘blind’ trial capsules to ‘open-label’ zidovudine, which guaranteed treatment.
open learning n. Education a system of learning based on independent study or initiative rather than formal classroom instruction; spec. = distance learning n. at distance n. Compounds 1c(b).
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society > education > teaching > [noun] > other methods of teaching
demonstration1742
bear-leading1766
royal road1793
tachydidaxy1846
object teaching1851
object system1862
methodic1864
community education1873
methodics1883
maieutics1885
type-system1901
direct method1904
spoon-feeding1905
play method1914
playway1914
project method1916
active learning1919
study skills1924
skit1926
free activity1929
hypnopaedia1932
sleep-teaching1932
chalk and talk1937
show-and-tell1941
demo1945
naming of (the) parts1946
team teaching1949
teleteaching1953
programming1954
audio-lingualism1961
immersion1965
dem1968
open learning1970
suggestopaedia1970
suggestopedy1970
distance learning1972
fast-tracking1972
paideia1982
tutorial1984
m-learning2001
1970 R. A. Anderson in Educ. Technol. June 15/2 Open-planning is merely a tool which makes the solution to an educational problem possible. Since the educational program is father to the plan, we must call these schools, then, ‘open-learning places’.
1980 Economist 21 June 47 Open learning, beamed from the Gulf to the Mediterranean, will have the great advantage of drawing the Palestinian diaspora together.
2000 Canberra Sunday Times 11 June 89/4 Nineteen of the 30 players now on contract are studying, many through open learning or distance education.
open-legged adj. having the legs apart; spec. (of a woman) inviting sexual intercourse; promiscuous.
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1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure II. 135 Mrs. Cole..represented..to me..the risques to my health, in being so open-legg'd and free.
1865 Sci. Amer. Aug. 87/3 He insists upon it that its [sc. the Colossus of Rhode's] standing open legged across the mouth of the harbour..is a pure invention.
1990 C. Jennings Mouthful of Rocks (BNC) 24 A middle-aged Moroccan woman lay sprawled on his bed, open-legged and completely naked.
open letter n. a letter addressed to a particular person or persons but intended for a more public readership, as by deliberate publication in a newspaper or journal.
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society > communication > journalism > journal > matter of or for journals > [noun] > other matter in journals
open letter1798
yell1827
court circular1841
magazine story1841
personal1860
pictorial1906
full spread1913
sidebar1937
lede1951
news peg1960
1798 W. Dunlap Andre (end matter) 89 Another request is, that I may be permitted to write an open letter to Sir Henry Clinton, and another to a friend for clothes and linen.
1878 (title) Open letter to the English nation from Berlin.
1966 Listener 6 Oct. 506/1 There are three open letters in the memorial volume.
2000 N.Y. Times 31 Dec. iv. 4/3 Mr. Rosenblatt has written an open letter to the incoming Bush administration asking it to consider backing an international rapid-reaction force.
open loop n. a control loop (loop n.1 4l) without feedback, each operation or activity being affected only by those earlier in the sequence; frequently attributive.
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the world > action or operation > [noun] > a form or kind of operation > series of dependent operations
loop1945
open loop1947
1947 Jrnl. Inst. Electr. Engineers 94 iia. 5/3 (heading) Examples of open-loop and closed-loop control.
1966 New Scientist 30 June 830 Almost all skilled muscular activities seem to exhibit many ‘open-loop’, pre-programmed characteristics.
1990 Garbage Nov. 47/3 An open loop for plastics doesn't affect manufacturers that use post-consumer PET.
open marriage n. a marriage in which the partners agree that each may have sexual relations with other people.
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society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > a marriage > [noun] > other types
Westminster wedding1660
customary marriage1871
hierogamy1882
companionate1924
companionate marriage1925
customary union1927
plaçage1937
gay marriage1957
open marriage1972
covenant marriage1990
1972 N. O'Neill & G. O'Neill Open Marriage 9 We began to synthesize and delineate those qualities and conditions that seemed most necessary for growth for a man and woman living together in today's world... We defined such a relationship as open marriage.
1985 J. Epstein in D. J. Enright Fair of Speech 60 Stripped of its psychological sham, an open marriage is one in which the partners in a conventional marriage have agreed to give way to the need to copulate with anyone else who will agree to copulate with them.
2002 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 14 Mar. 14/2 It was an open marriage..but theirs remained nonetheless a close and rancorless union.
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the world > food and drink > food > dairy produce > cheese > [adjective] > qualities of cheese
miteyc1650
two-meal1741
fire-fanged1808
mature1833
blue-vinnied1838
skimmed1881
blue vein1893
open-meated1896
well-meated1896
blue-veined1898
bleu1918
crustless1927
1896 Daily News 26 Dec. 2/6 The early ripened, open-meated Cheshire cheese.
open-neck n. and adj. (a) n. a collar of a shirt, sweater, etc., that leaves the neck uncovered; (b) adj. = open-necked adj.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > covering or next to neck > collar > types of
chevesailec1400
roll collar1832
coat-collar1833
bertha1842
step-roll1881
open-neck1894
step-collar1895
button-down1897
turtle-neck1897
Shakespeare collar1907
polo collar1909
shawl collar1913
polo neck1924
mandarin collar1952
petal collar1957
polo1967
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [adjective] > shirt > types of
open-neckeda1791
open-neck1894
button-down1921
buttoned-down1952
1894 Harper's Mag. Feb. 365/1 The Byronic open neck, which..became a sort of stage property later on, mingles queerly with the full-gathered cloak and tall crested helmet.
1928 Daily Mail 25 July 12/1 The ideal is a sports shirt with a low open neck.
1952 A. C. C. Lock Trav. Across Austral. 77 They could eat their meals attrayed in a ‘Jacky Howe’ open-neck type of singlet.
2002 Men's Health (Electronic ed.) 1 Sept. s49 The same jacket..over a button-down open-neck shirt, you'll look like Joe College if you're young, and Joe Dad if you're not.
open-necked adj. having an open neck; spec. (of a shirt) worn with the collar unbuttoned and without a tie.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [adjective] > shirt > types of
open-neckeda1791
open-neck1894
button-down1921
buttoned-down1952
a1791 F. Hopkinson in G. W. Samson Elem. Art Crit. (1867) 362 The fashion of the open-necked dresses of the dissolute Court of Charles the Second being in vogue in London, New York, and Philadelphia.
1880 Harper's Mag. Oct. 751/1 He lays off the broadcloth clothes of his public existence, and dons the white baggy trousers, the open-necked vest, and the long gown dear to his heart.
1959 E. H. Clements High Tension v. 83 His step-cousin's [neck] rose, long and boyish-looking, from an open-necked shirt.
1988 M. Dibdin Ratking iii. 64 The younger man was wearing a skiing jacket, open-necked shirt and jeans.
open occupancy n. U.S. the fact, action, or policy of making housing available to people of any racial or ethnic group.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabiting a type of place > [noun] > a house > type of occupation
multiple occupancy1933
multiple occupation1935
open occupancy1945
under-occupation1961
multi-occupation1963
1945 R. M. MacIver More Perfect Union ix. 237 Some projects of ‘open occupancy’ in Seattle..and Chicago, have been highly successful.
1978 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 84 239 Enforcement of open-occupancy laws would be more effective than income supplements in breaking up the ghettos.
1993 J. R. Ralph Northern Protest i. 112 Dawson and his minions..downplayed the value of controversial demands such as open occupancy and integrated education.
open outcry n. †(a) a public sale to the highest bidder; a system of open bartering at such a sale; cf. outcry n. 3a; (obsolete) (b) Stock Market (originally U.S.) a system of financial trading in which the dealers shout out their bids and contracts.
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society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > [noun] > stock exchange > system of trading
open outcry1566
1566 in J. Fowler tr. P. Frarinus Oration against Vnlawfull Insurrections Protestantes sig. Lii An other that was fled like a beggar priuilye, They tooke, and stript, and set to sale with open outcry.
1595 H. Chettle Piers Plainnes Prentiship sig. E2v The innocent were releast, the periurde Broker and his forsworne companions [were] promoted to the pillorie..their goods solde at open outcrie before all the people.
1629 I. M. tr. C. de Fonseca Deuout Contempl. xiv. 228 If it were to be sould at an open outcry, and in the publique market place, there would not a Chapman bee found to deale for it.
1891 N.Y. Times 18 Sept. 3/3 H. E. Huston's membership on the Cotton Exchange will be sold at ‘open outcry’—as the rules of the Exchange direct—Sept. 28.
1968 Commodity Trading Man. (Chicago Board of Trade) ix. 43/2 All offerings and bids must be made by open outcry.
1989 Independent 28 Mar. 22/4 The London International Financial Futures Exchange has also sought to replicate open-outcry with its Automated Pit Trading technology.
2000 N.Y. Times 6 Aug. iii. 1/1 And, some experts say, the demise of the ‘open outcry’ method of trading—the shouting and flashing of hand signals into a trading pit—might doom the exchange itself.
open-pit adj. Mining (chiefly North American) = opencast adj.
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society > occupation and work > industry > mining > [adjective] > method of mining
open cut1869
underhand1877
open-pit1892
opencast1896
shortwall1912
1892 Harper's Mag. Apr. 697/1 Open-pit mining is largely followed in this district.
1959 Times 12 June 17/4 The new technique of open-pit borate mining.
1993 J. Pournelle & S. M. Stirling Prince of Sparta 6 There was an openpit rare-earth mine cut back into a smooth green hill..and a kilometer of railway down to the loading docks.
open-planned adj. Architecture = open plan adj.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > style of architecture > [adjective] > other styles
florida1706
massive1723
rounded1757
round-arched1782
castellar1789
baronial1807
rational1813
English colonial1817
massy1817
transitional1817
Scottish Baronial1829
rococo1830
flamboyant1832
Scotch Baronial1833
Churrigueresque1845
Russo-Byzantine1845
soaring1849
trenchant1849
vernacular1857
Scots Baronial1864
baroque1867
Perp.1867
rayonnant1873
Dutch colonial1876
Neo-Grec1878
rococoesque1885
Richardsonian1887
federal1894
organic1896
confectionery1897
European-style1907
postmodern1916
Lutyens1921
modern1927
moderne1928
functionalist1930
Williamsburg1931
Colonial Revival1934
packing case1935
Corbusian1936
lavatorial1936
pseudish1938
Adamesque1942
rationalist1952
Miesian1956
open-planned1958
Lutyensesque1961
façade1962
Odeon1964
high-tech1979
Populuxe1986
1958 Washington Post 16 Aug. B 10/1 Open-planned kitchens have been described by designers as ‘one of the most desirable areas in the home’.
1976 Ilkeston Advertiser 10 Dec. 12/5 (advt.) Front shop (ideal lounge), open-planned living kitchen.
2001 R. Kenna Glasgow Pub Compan. (ed. 2) 38/1 The local magistrates..favoured open-planned pubs.
open planning n. Architecture = open plan n.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > style of architecture > [noun] > other styles
transition1730
pasticcio1750
symmetrophobia1809
rococo1835
flamboyantism1846
collegiate Gothic1851
vernacular architecture1857
Neo-Grec1867
modernism1879
wedding-cake1879
Queen Anne1883
Colonial Revival1889
Chicago school1893
Dutch colonial1894
English colonial1894
monumentalism1897
vernacular1910
international style1911
Churrigueresque1913
postmodernism1914
prairie style1914
rationalism1918
lavatory style1919
functionalism1924
Mudéjar1927
façadism1933
open plan1938
Wrenaissance1942
pseudo1945
brutalism1953
open planning1958
neo-Liberty1959
Queen Annery1966
Jugendstil1967
moderne1968
strip architecture1976
high-tech1978
1958 Washington Post 16 Aug. b10/1 The welcome theme of this architect-designed House of The Week is ‘open planning’.
1992 Art Newspaper (BNC) May 7 The lightness and open planning characteristic of international style architecture.
open pollinated adj. (of a plant) pollinated by natural means, without direct human intervention.
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1911 Amer. Naturalist 45 578 In nature, among open-pollinated (allogamous) plants..there is no such thing as a ‘pure’ species.
1994 Amateur Gardening 30 July 34/2 The fact that they are open pollinated means that their flowers are at the mercy of stray pollen blowing in from other plants nearby.
open pollination n. pollination occurring by natural means, without direct human intervention.
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1917 Amer. Naturalist 51 43 A few good ovules are formed which produce viable seed in the case of open pollination or when crossed back with the parents.
1956 Heredity 10 60 There was no correlation in the percentage seed set from self- and open-pollination.
1993 House Beautiful Feb. 23/1 The more catalogs you read the more you will notice that some seedsmen promote open pollination while others push hybrids.
open question n. see sense 27a.
open reading frame n. Molecular Biology a sequence of nucleotide triplets that begins with an initiation codon but has no a termination codon, and is therefore a possible polypeptide coding sequence; abbreviated ORF.
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1977 Nucleic Acids Res. 4 1001 This nucleotide sequence shows only one open reading frame and allows the deduction of a small segment of the amino acid sequence of VP1.
2001 Science 14 Dec. 2299/1 HBV engenders all of this with only four open reading frames (ORFs; DNA sequences that encode proteins).
open-reel adj. designating or using magnetic tape wound on accessible reels that require individual threading, as opposed to being contained in a cassette or cartridge.
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society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > [adjective] > tape
open-reel1970
1970 High Fidelity Nov. 77/1 Here we encounter what may well be a very significant parting of the ways between cassettes and open-reel tapes.
1986 Studio Week July 13/1 I think ultimately an open-reel format will win.
2001 Broadcast Engin. (Electronic ed.) 1 Sept. Transferring unedited mono or stereo audio from the open-reel deck to a computer and burning a CD is very easy.
open roof n. Building a pitched roof with exposed rafters and no ceiling; cf. open floor n.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > roof > [noun] > types of roof generally
vaulta1387
plat-roofa1425
pend1454
faunsere1460
compassed roofa1552
terrace1572
sotie1578
crown1588
arch-roof1594
arch1609
under-roof1611
concameration1644
voltoa1660
hip roof1663
French roof1669
oversail1673
jerkinhead1703
mansard1704
curb-roof1733
shed roof1736
gable roof1759
gambrel roof1761
living roof1792
pent roof1794
span-roof1823
wagon-head1823
azotea1824
rafter roof1825
rooflet1825
wagon-vault1835
bell-roof1842
spire-roof1842
cradle-roof1845
packsaddle roof1845
open roof1847
umbrella roof1847
gambrel1848
packsaddle1848
compass-roof1849
saddleback1849
saddle roof1850
curbed roof1866
wagon-roof1866
saw-tooth roof1900
trough roof1905
skillion roof1911
north-light roof1923
shell roof1954
green roof1984
knee-roof-
1847 B. Disraeli Tancred I. i. vi. 80 They pass into the great hall, the most ancient part of the building, with its open roof of Spanish chestnut.
1955 A. Soper in R. T. Paine & A. Soper Art & Archit. Japan xxiii. 252 Three kinds of overhead enclosure were traditional by the Kamakura age for interior spaces: the symmetrical ‘open roof’, the single slope of rafters over an aisle, and the flat, coffered ceiling.
1999 Church Times 24 Dec. 29/1 The walls of the nave are covered in a diaper pattern; the open roofs are highly painted.
open-roofed adj. having no roof; open to the sky.
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1647 A. Ross Mystagogvs Poeticvs ix. 136 Iuno's temple was open roofed.
1889 Science 5 July 4/1 The Etruscan residence consists of a stone basement..and an upper portion of wood, with an open-roofed balcony.
1999 Times 28 May 43/1 Wednesday night's performances were what the towering, open-roofed geography of the Globe demands.
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1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 1561/2 Open-sand Molding,..heavy beams, foundations, and bed-plates are sometimes molded in the floor of the foundry, without any cope or top part.
open sandwich n. a slice of bread with a sandwich filling on it, like a sandwich with the upper slice removed.
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the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > bread > bread with spread or filling > [noun] > sandwich > open sandwich
butty1827
smørrebrød1902
smørbrød1933
open sandwich1946
1946 Sun (Baltimore) 13 Aug. 2/8 Some lunch counters were serving ‘the open sandwich’, a single slice affair.
1959 Listener 15 Jan. 136/2 The simplest open sandwich or even everyday platter of roast meat.
1996 L. Al-Hafidh et al. Europe: Rough Guide (ed. 3) ii. v. 193/2 You can buy smørrebrød—open sandwiches heaped with meat, fish or cheese, and assorted trimmings—..from special shops.
open scale n. and adj. (a) n. a set of graduations or a scale of values having either a wide range or no upper limit; (b) adj. having or relating to an open scale; spec. designating a barometer or thermometer whose tube is open at one end.
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1831 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 121 452 A bar of wrought iron..affords the additional advantage of a much more open scale [for a register-pyrometer].
1864 Proc. Royal Soc. 1863–4 13 169 I constructed an open-scale barometer, with a column of mercury placed in a glass tube hermetically sealed at the top, and perfectly open at the bottom.
1905 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 204 76 An open scale thermometer lying alongside the tube for temperature observations.
1992 TASS (Nexis) 13 Apr. The earthquake..measured 5.6 points on the open-scale Richter scale.
open score n. Music a score in which each voice is written on a separate staff.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > written or printed music > [noun] > score > type of score
full score1786
vocal score1819
short score1876
compressed score1877
open score1899
condensed score-
1899 F. Bridge & F. Sawyer Course Harmony ii. 8 There are two methods of writing harmony—viz., in open score and short score. In open score each voice is written on a separate staff.
2000 Amer. Rec. Guide (Electronic ed.) 1 Sept. A long tradition of rigorous contrapuntal keyboard works published in open score.
open sea n. (also the open sea, the open seas) an expanse of sea away from land.
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a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1957) v. iv. 101 And frakkis fast outthrow the oppyn see.
1743 H. Fielding Jonathan Wild ii. xi, in Misc. III. 170 What could be imagined more miserable than the Situation of our Hero at this Season, floating in a little Boat on the open Seas, without Oar, without Sail, and at the Mercy of the first Wave to overwhelm him.
2001 Quicksilver Mag. Spring 33/1 And the queasy tummy? Well, travel sickness pills are a sensible precaution against those wobbly stretches of open sea, but for much of the way, the route is sheltered by islands.
open shed n. New Zealand Sheep-shearing a farm or station where shearers are not contracted before the start of shearing but taken on as needed.
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the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > sheep-shearing > [noun] > shearing-shed
wool-shed1846
shed1855
shearing-shed1857
open shed1871
1871 Lady M. A. Barker Christmas Cake in Four Quarters iv. iii. 279 Brown and Wetherby's was an ‘open shed’, where any shearers that came were taken on until there were hands enough.
a1948 L. G. D. Acland Early Canterbury Runs (1951) vii. 169 Clayton was an ‘open shed’, that is, the shearers were not engaged beforehand, but turned up and took their chance of a pen on the advertised starting day.
1986 in Dict. N.Z. Eng. (1997) (at cited word) ‘Do you have open shed or contract shearing?’ ‘I prefer the contract gang, but you have to help your local shearers; some wives are on the table, and we're often on the board too.’
open shelf n. a shelf that is not in a closed or private room; spec. a bookshelf in a library which is directly accessible to readers; frequently attributive or as adj.
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society > communication > book > receptacle for books > [noun] > book-shelf
shelf1732
open shelf1821
book trough1893
society > communication > book > library or collection of books > library, place, or institution > [noun] > stall, stack, or shelf in library
classis1631
interclassis1678
class1686
stall1709
open shelf1821
stack1879
1821 M. Edgeworth Let. 12 Dec. (1971) 290 They live in the library—open shelves—mixture of half bound and bound books.
1897 Libr. Jrnl. Jan. 44/1 The adoption of the open-shelf system.
1910 A. E. Bostwick Amer. Public Libr. 38 Practically all small and moderate sized American libraries are now ‘open-shelf’, which means that the user is allowed to go personally to the shelves and select his book.
1988 Finding out about Packaging (1990) ii. 13/2 They are all on open shelves so that the customer chooses, selecting what he or she wants.
open side n. Rugby the side of the scrum on which the main line of the opponents' backs is ranged; opposed to blind side.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > rugby football > [noun] > scrum > side of scrum
blind side1606
open side1906
1906 D. Gallaher & W. J. Stead Compl. Rugby Footballer xi. 145 (heading) Tactics—combined attack on the open side.
1934 H. O. Crisler & E. E. Wieman Pract. Football viii. 119 If a pass is thrown to the open side the receiver is between his opponent and the ball.
1988 Rugby World & Post Nov. 16/4 They have pace in their two openside flankers.
open sight n. (of a firearm) a non-optical sight which must be superimposed upon the aiming point to achieve correct aim.
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1594 J. Smythe Certen Instr. Militarie 191 All their mosquets should be of one heigth or caliver of bullets with open sights.
1877 Spirit of Times 24 Nov. 449/3 This was a drawback to the Pioneers the open sight and heavy pull trigger being strange to them.
1919 Outing Mar. 322/1 Look through the center notch of the sight and also see that the rifle is not tilted to the right or left. This applies both to open sights and peep sights.
2000 Daily Tel. 6 July 33/4 For many years her favourite rifle was a Rigby .275 with open sights.
open skies adj. designating a policy under which aircraft, esp. commercial aircraft, of any nation are allowed to fly into a particular territory.
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society > travel > air or space travel > regulation and control of flying > [adjective] > allowing any aircraft to fly over territory
open-sky1944
open skies1945
society > travel > air or space travel > regulation and control of flying > [adjective] > allowing surveillance from the air
open-sky1944
open skies1945
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > vigilance > keeping watch > [adjective] > exercising surveillance > permitting surveillance from the air
open-sky1944
open skies1945
1945 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch 10 Feb. 12 (heading) U.S. accepts agreements on aviation pact. Will exchange ‘open skies’ rights.
1973 Times 31 Jan. (Mediterranean Suppl.) p. iv/3 To attain their ambitious targets the Greek authorities proclaimed an ‘open skies’ policy for charter flights.
1998 Wired June 171/1 While open-skies treaties destroy the cozy old regulated model, the world's airlines are teaming up to create true global systems.
open-sky adj. = open skies adj.
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society > travel > air or space travel > regulation and control of flying > [adjective] > allowing any aircraft to fly over territory
open-sky1944
open skies1945
society > travel > air or space travel > regulation and control of flying > [adjective] > allowing surveillance from the air
open-sky1944
open skies1945
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > vigilance > keeping watch > [adjective] > exercising surveillance > permitting surveillance from the air
open-sky1944
open skies1945
1944 Sun (Baltimore) 30 Nov. 7/2 The British apparently now have the choice of going along with the ‘open sky’ program or facing the development of a large bloc of nations which want something along the lines of the United States.
1990 Australian 21 Feb. (Brisbane ed.) 27/1 (heading) American [Airlines] calls for ‘open-sky’ policy.
open society n. a society that is tolerant of diversity, has a flexible structure, and allows freedom of belief and wide dissemination of information.
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society > society and the community > customs, values, and civilization > a civilization or culture > [noun] > other types of civilizations or cultures
economy1535
patriarchy1868
by-world1872
Western world1894
overworld1895
open society1911
pao-chia1931
closed society1935
plural society1939
technopolis1946
shame culture1947
19841951
Hollerith1957
metaculture1959
underground1959
permissive society1960
caring society1966
technocomplex1968
microsociety1970
overground1971
Manhattanism1978
1911 A. S. Green Irish Nationality xiii. 234 An open society into which Protestants and Catholics alike were welcomed.
1954 P. Mason Ess. Racial Tension xvii. 119 The painful transition from a society based on status to an open society in which contract and competition play a part.
1993 Wired Sept. 26/1 George Soros has opened offices in former communist countries to help build the institution of an ‘open society’.
open-spoken adj. given to speaking plainly; unreserved; outspoken.
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the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > sincerity, freedom from deceit > [adjective] > frank, candid
free-hearteda1398
plain-dealing1567
plain-spoken1582
broad1588
free-spoken1606
free1611
unminced1648
unreserved1654
candid1675
above boarda1695
unmanaged1749
unprevaricating?1782
plain-speaking1787
loud-mouthing1788
bluff1808
outspoken1808
unglossing1827
straightforward1829
unwithholdinga1834
open-spoken1852
heart-to-heart1855
blunt-spoken1877
straight1894
1852 E. C. Gaskell in Househ. Words Christmas No. 14/1 A little sweet, bold, open-spoken child.
1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset I. xxxv. 309 I don't suppose any lady was ever more open-spoken to a gentleman than I have been to him.
1985 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 7 Nov. iv. 1/1 People are not as open-spoken as they are in San Francisco.
open stage n. Theatre a stage in the same area as the audience; esp. one surrounded on three sides by the audience.
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society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > stage > [noun] > other types of stage
platform stage1869
revolve1900
apron stage1903
picture stage1908
space stage1928
open stage1940
thrust stage1968
1940 G. Freedley in B. Sobel Theatre Handbk. 754 The stage..was found later..to hold opportunity for changing scenes such as was denied Serlio's open stage.
1983 Oxf. Compan. Theatre (ed. 4) 614/1 Most of the new all-purpose theatres being built today..make provision for open-stage productions.
open stance n. Sport a position in which a stationary player places the feet or turns the body so as to more nearly face the direction of play, in preparation for striking the ball with a club, racket, bat, etc.; cf. closed stance n. at closed adj. Additions.
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1902 Sunday Post (Boston) 4 May 6/2 The most popular style at present is known as the open stance, that is, the ball is placed nearer the left foot than the right, the right foot being slightly advanced.
1909 Amer. Golfer July 15/1 He employs a rather open stance.
1959 E. Allen Baseball Play & Strategy ii. xii. 177 Some players face the pitcher with their front foot farther from the plate than their back foot. This is called an open stance.
1990 Sporting News Baseball Yearbk. Mar. 38/3 He'd tried an open stance to see the ball better.
2001 Golf Mag. Feb. 88/2 Almost everyone has been told to adopt an open stance and open clubface at address.
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1817 W. Scott Rob Roy II. vi. 127 Nane o' yere..open-steek hems about it.
1828 D. M. Moir Life Mansie Wauch vi. 49 Silk stockings, with open-steek gushats.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [adjective] > type of sight
open-step1884
1884 Harper's Mag. Aug. 365/1 The ordinary open-step sight attached to the barrel.
open stock n. North American goods that are always kept in stock by a shop, etc.; esp. crockery sets for which items may be bought separately at any time; frequently attributive.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > merchandise > article(s) to be sold > [noun] > stock > types of
specialty1852
open stock1890
1890 Scribner's Mag. June 34/1 The term ‘Open Stock’ is used to indicate that we carry a large stock. so as to sell sets of any size.
1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. No. 104. 681 Decorated dinner-ware. Patterns sold in open stock.
1911 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 23 Apr. 4/4 We are in receipt of the latest open stock pattern in Limoges China... You can always replace a broken piece at any time.
1998 Chicago Tribune 27 Aug. iv. 10/2 (advt.) Cookware set. Save 50% on the Open Stock Price.
open subroutine n. Computing a routine that is written, in full, directly into a program wherever it occurs.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [noun] > set of instructions > written in full
open subroutine1950
1950 D. J. Wheeler in Proc. Royal Soc. A. 202 580 The simplest way of using sub-routines to form a programme is to arrange them in sequence in the store so that when one sub-routine is finished, the next one is commenced, and so on. Sub-routines used in this way will be called open subroutines.
1969 P. B. Jordain Condensed Computer Encycl. 353 An open subroutine will convert floating-point numbers to fixed-point numbers or fixed-point to floating-point (four to six instructions), find the next larger integer value, or find the absolute magnitude.
1980 C. S. French Computer Sci. xxv. 193 Open subroutines are part of the main program and inserted into the program where required.
open table n. now archaic = open house n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > social event > hospitality > [noun] > liberal
open householdc1450
housekeeping1538
open table1602
open house1824
1602 2nd Pt. Returne fr. Parnassus ii. v. 870 My father..keepes an open table for all kinde of dogges... He hath your..Leurier, your Spaniell, your Kennets.
1798 T. Jones Memoirs (1951) 79 Mr. Leigh..treated us with true old English hospitality keeping an Open table for all his friends and Countrymen.
1897 M. E. Coleridge King with Two Faces xliii. 332 Excepting on those days of the week when Gustav kept open table for a hundred guests, their fare consisted only of milk and potatoes.
1990 P. Schmitt-Pantel in O. Murray Sympotica ii, 23 To be philoxenos is to keep an open table and so to find a place in the system of exchanges between men of the same rank.
Open Tech n. [ < open adj. + Tech n.1] British a technical college modelled on the Open University, providing distance-learning courses or training in technical subjects.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > place of education > college or university > [noun] > college > technical college
school1815
technical college1824
polytechnic1836
poly1858
Tech1881
Polytech1900
technicum1924
monotechnic1931
Open Tech1980
1980 Times 29 Jan. 4/3 The establishment of an ‘Open Tech’, using the distance-learning techniques of the Open University, to provide part-time courses for adults at technician level was suggested yesterday.
1999 Financial Times 9 Oct. (Weekend Mag.) 38/3 She's been involved..in any number of training innovations, such as Open Tech, NCVQ and Buckingham University.
ΚΠ
1529 J. Frith Pistle Christen Reader f. xxiiij They must pay open tithes and prevey tithes.
open-throated adj. (a) having the mouth wide open (in readiness to bite, talk, drink, etc.); loud; (b) (of a shirt) leaving the throat uncovered.
ΚΠ
1600 B. Jonson Every Man out of his Humor i. ii. sig. Dii O, 'tis an open-throated, blacke-mouth'd curre, That bites at all, but eates on those that feed him. View more context for this quotation
1800 J. Hurdis Favorite Village iv. 192 The responsive cock..—his open-throated squall, That bids his wife and little-ones beware.
1836 Fraser's Mag. 13 195 It will be..swallowed by that most open-throated of flummery gulpers.
1962 ‘K. Orvis’ Damned & Destroyed 111 A loud, open-throated sports-shirt.
1989 T. Tryon Night of Moonbow iv. ix. 302 He could hear the open-throated drag of his captors' breathing as they marched doggedly on.
open-toe adj. = open-toed adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > [adjective] > with specific type of toe
picked1615
square-toe1706
square-toed1785
stub-toed1930
open-toe1938
peep-toe1939
peep-toed1953
chisel1961
1938 Chatelaine Mar. 32/3 Open-toe shoes will be more popular than ever.
1988 G. Naylor Mama Day 10 She stops and puts a bit of moss in her open-toe sandals.
open-toed adj. (of footwear) open at the front so as to reveal the toes.
ΚΠ
1939 in G. Howell In Vogue (1975) 151/2 Little women in tailored suits running around London in open-toed sandals. Sister, watch your step.
1998 Daily Tel. 7 Aug. 18/1 The devotion of the older generations to white mid-heel courts and open-toed sandals has been well documented.
open-top adj. and n. (a) adj. (esp. of a vehicle, trailer, etc.) not having a fixed top; of or relating to such a vehicle; (b) n. colloquial a vehicle, trailer, etc., without a fixed top.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [adjective] > roof
openOE
open-top1771
open-topped1849
targa roof1976
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > uncovering > [adjective] > without a cover or lid > at the top
open-top1935
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > [noun] > with open top
open-top1955
1771 in Public Rec. Colony of Connecticut (1885) XIII. 514 Every open chair and other open top riding wheel-carriage [shall be rated] three pounds.
1856 Trans. Michigan Agric. Soc. 7 61 John Patton..[exhibited an] open top buggy.
1935 Discovery June 163/1 The tin can has gradually developed into the present day open top or ‘sanitary’ can, with the ends rolled on by machine, and made airtight by a rubber gasket.
1955 Amer. Speech 30 92 Open top, a rig with sides but no permanent top.
1992 I. Banks Crow Road iv. 93 Fergus drove too fast in the ancient open-top.
1993 Forestry 66 22 Beech saplings in open-top chambers supplied with ambient air grew 22 per cent less than those supplied with filtered air.
open-topped adj. (esp. of a vehicle, trailer, etc.) not having a (fixed) top.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [adjective] > roof
openOE
open-top1771
open-topped1849
targa roof1976
1849 G. C. Greenwell Gloss. Terms Coal Trade Northumberland & Durham 54 An open-topped box of wood or iron, attached to a tram, and used in conveying coals from the working places to the surface.
1904 Westm. Gaz. 9 Dec. 7/2 The sight should be adjustable with open-topped hood.
1999 Esquire Sept. 12 (advt.) A modern interpretation of the classic open-topped sports car.
open town n. = open city n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > place of amusement or entertainment > [noun] > town or city as
open town1720
pleasure centre1877
bright lights1916
society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > fort or fortified town > [noun] > undefended city
open town1720
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > [noun] > open town or city
open town1720
open citya1832
1720 D. Defoe Mems. Cavalier ii. 307 Here we halted, and raised Contributions, took Money of the Country, and of the open Towns, to exempt them from Plunder.
1870 Standard 13 Dec. 3/3 He [sc. Napoleon the First] only mulcted nations, and did not hucksterlike fine every open town he came across.
1978 Internat. Affairs 54 300 He..recommended the strategic short-cut of subduing an opponent by the bombing of civilians in open towns.
open traverse n. Surveying a traverse whose end point is different from the starting point or is at an unknown position; cf. closed traverse n. at closed adj. Additions.
ΚΠ
1879 Index Executive Documents House of Representatives 1878–79 VII. 41 The Tuscarora was..left on the 28th to make soundings by running an open traverse from San Diego to Cape Saint Lucas, defining the true ocean bed.
1919 J. K. Finch Plane Surv. 225 The instrument might be placed at E, the azimuth of E F determined, and an open traverse run from E to F.
2007 B. A. Kipfer Archaeologist's Fieldwork Compan. v. 393 The open traverse is the least desirable traverse type, because it does not provide the opportunity for checking the accuracy of the fieldwork.
open-tread adj. (of a staircase) having no risers.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > stairs > [adjective] > types of staircase
winding1530
half-paced1603
dogleg1671
newelled1677
flighted1929
low-rise1951
open-tread1960
1960 Guardian 11 Mar. 8/7 Modern architects are known to favour open-tread stairs.
2000 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) May 202/2 They could not tamper with the open-tread modernist staircase.
open university n. a university having few if any restrictions on admission; spec. (with capital initials) a university founded in the United Kingdom in 1969 which accepts students regardless of previous qualifications, offers degrees by distance learning, and uses a range of teaching media (esp. correspondence, broadcasting, and information technology); any similar institution.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > place of education > college or university > [noun] > university > specific university
Oxon.c1439
Oxford1455
Sorbonne1560
aunt1625
T.C.D.1831
other place1899
open university1902
U.C.L.a1912
University of the Air1922
U.C.L.A.1941
U.C.D.1955
OU1969
open1970
College of the Air1977
1902 W. N. Dixon Trinity College, Dublin viii. 188 Called for the reforms which have made it an ‘open university’.
1958 Ann. Reg. 1957 95 The so-called ‘open’ universities, Cape Town and the Witwatersrand, had a long tradition of admitting non-Europeans.
1966 New Statesman 14 Oct. 548/3 The Open University..is the latest and most impressive offspring of the founders of ACE (Advisory Centre for Education).
1979 Univ. Affairs (Ottawa) 19/1 The Canadian experience focuses on the problems and planning requirements at the two open universities created in Canada during the 1970s.
2001 PC Gamer Oct. 54/2 The word ‘genre’ itself was only ever uttered by poncy badger-bearded literature profs on Open University transmissions.
open vegetation n. Ecology vegetation which does not completely cover the ground; cf. open community n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > balance of nature > environment or habitat > [noun] > types of
supralittoral1839
refuge1889
refugium1902
home range1904
open vegetation1905
open community1909
controlled environment1914
palaeoenvironment1957
1905 New Phytologist 4 257 Seedlings come up almost uniformly amongst the open vegetation.
1960 N. Polunin Introd. Plant Geogr. xiv. 447 Cacti in the New World and cactus-like Euphorbias in the Old World frequently form a characteristic feature of the usually open vegetation [in semi-deserts].
1991 J. M. Mullin & R. J. Pankhurst Flora of Outer Hebrides (BNC) 35 After a phase with..some open vegetation present soon after the late-glacial, the vegetation cover became complete about 90000 b.p.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > manifestness > openness or unconcealedness > [adjective]
openlyeOE
underna900
openeOE
utterly12..
unhida1300
perta1325
apert1330
nakeda1382
public1394
patenta1398
foreign?c1400
overtc1400
unrecovered1433
publicalc1450
open-visageda1513
bare1526
uncloaked1539
subject1556
uncovered1577
unmasked1590
facely1593
undisguised1598
female1602
unveiled1606
unshrouded1610
barefaceda1616
disclouded1615
unhiddena1616
broad-faced1643
with full miena1657
undissembled1671
frank1752
bald-faced1761
unconfidential1772
ostensible1782
unglossed1802
undisguising1813
unvisored1827
unconcealed1839
disprivacied1848
disguiseless1850
bald1854
unobscured1879
visible1885
open door1898
above ground1976
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) II. f. clxx He was..opyn vysaged layed in the Mynster of Pounfrayt, so yt all men myght knowe an see that he was dede.
open ward n. Medicine (a) a large open-plan ward for the accommodation of many patients; (b) a ward in a psychiatric hospital allowing relative freedom of movement to patients.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > places for the sick or injured > [noun] > hospital or infirmary > hospital ward > types of ward
foul ward1734
day ward1801
eye ward1828
casualty ward1836
scarlet ward1888
out-ward1890
observation ward1908
open ward1919
casualty1927
post-op1929
Nightingale ward1930
private1942
surgical1961
SCBU1968
NICU1971
pre-op1991
1919 Science 3 Oct. 317/2 Measles and influenza patients are not to be assembled into large groups or kept in open wards, but should be placed in separate rooms or cubicles.
1960 A. Huxley Let. 27 Dec. (1969) 901 Maxwell Jones..pioneered the Open Ward system in English mental hospitals.
1989 St. Louis (Missouri) Post-Dispatch (Nexis) 22 July (Everyday Mag.) In the summer mothers sweltered in open wards at City Hospital that were not air-conditioned; now they have semi-private, air-conditioned rooms.
open window unit n. Acoustics (now rare) = sabin n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > science of sound > [noun] > unit of sound absorption
open window unit1900
sabin1934
1900 W. C. Sabine in Amer. Architect & Building News 21 Apr. 22/1 The absorbing power was found to be ·73 of open-window units.
1957 D. H. Fender Gen. Physics & Sound xii. 398 The area of material multiplied by its absorption coefficient measures its total absorption in ‘open window units’.
1968 R. C. Stanley Light & Sound for Engineers xvi. 308 If the area of the surface is expressed in square feet, then the absorption is expressed in open window units or sabins.
open wood n. (a) North American a wood in which there is no undergrowth; (b) a wood in which the trees are not very close together; (Ecology) one in which the canopy is not continuous; woodland of this kind.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > tree or woody plant > wood or assemblage of trees or shrubs > [noun] > in which branches do not interlace
open wood1790
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > tree or woody plant > wood or assemblage of trees or shrubs > [noun] > wood of tall trees or lacking undergrowth
highwoodc1275
high forest1477
hautboy1677
open wood1790
the world > the earth > land > landscape > fertile land or place > land with vegetation > [noun] > wooded land > types of
ripplelOE
wildwooda1122
rough1332
firth?a1400
tod stripec1446
osiard1509
bush1523
bush-ground1523
fritha1552
island1638
oak landc1658
pinelandc1658
piney wood1666
broom-land1707
pine barrenc1721
pine savannah1735
savannah1735
thick woods1754
scrub-land1779
olive wood1783
primeval forest1789
open wood1790
strong woods1792
scrub1805
oak flata1816
sertão1816
sprout-land1824
flatwoods1841
bush-land1842
tall timber1845
amber forest1846
caatinga1846
mahogany scrub1846
bush-flat1847
myall country1847
national forest1848
selva1849
monte1851
virgin forest1851
bush-country1855
savannah forest1874
bush-range1879
bushveld1879
protection forest1889
mulga1896
wood-bush1896
shinnery1901
fringing forest1903
monsoon forest1903
rainforest1903
savannah woodland1903
thorn forest1903
tropical rainforest1903
gallery forest1920
cloud forest1922
rain jungle1945
mato1968
1790 J. Armstrong Jrnl. in Ohio Archaeol. & Hist. Q. (1911) 20 82 A course a little to the N. of W., passing through several small prairies and open woods.
1823 C. B. Vignoles Observ. upon Floridas 77 Instead of the clear open woods generally seen, masses of young pine saplings are thickly spread over the rocky ground.
1889 W. Schlich Man. Forestry I. 9 Thin Wood, or open wood, means a wood in which the crowns of the trees do not interlace.
1939 Canad. Hist. Rev. 20 282 The general results..would seem at first sight to point to the ‘groves’, ‘open woods’, ‘oak openings’, parklands, or whatever name one may give them, being more pronounced on the western borders.
1996 R. Mabey Flora Britannica 364/2 Goldenrod, Solidago virgaurea, is a bright, late-summer-flowering perennial of hedge-banks, open woods and rocky places.
open woodland n. woodland in which the trees are not very close together; (Ecology) woodland in which the canopy is not continuous.
ΚΠ
1839 C. Darwin in R. Fitzroy & C. Darwin Narr. Surv. Voy. H.M.S. Adventure & Beagle III. vii. 147 The nature of the country also favours this, for instead of a grassy plain, there is an open woodland, composed of low prickly mimosas.
1955 G. Cansdale Reptiles W. Afr. iv. 64 Bosc's Monitor is a lizard of the grassland and open woodlands.
1982 ‘E. Peters’ Virgin in Ice vi. 77 They veered to the right, and came into open woodland, and the new vistas revived his interest in the world about him.
open-world adj. of or relating to video games in which players can move freely within a large virtual environment, and may choose how to achieve any objectives with relative autonomy; (also) designating such a game.
ΚΠ
2003 M. McShaffry Game Coding Compl. vii. 278 One of the best games that uses this open world design is Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
2020 Digit (Nexis) 5 May Ghosts of Tsushima is an action-adventure stealth open-world game..which revolves around the story of one of the last Samurais on the Tsushima Island.
open year n. Insurance (British) a year in which the business of a syndicate of underwriters at Lloyd's cannot be closed at the normal time because of liabilities still outstanding.
ΚΠ
1980 H. A. P. Fisher et al. Self-regulation at Lloyd's ix. 54 Agents should be required to supply..the Report and Audited Accounts for the last seven years and for the open years.
1994 Accountancy Sept. 99/3 Many of these open years have not been closed because of difficulties in identifying the ultimate liability for catastrophe reinsurance claims within the London market.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
openv.
/ˈəʊp(ə)n/, U.S. /ˈoʊp(ə)n/ I. Physical senses.
1.
a. transitive. To move or turn (a door, gate, window, tap, etc.) away from its closed position so as to allow passage or access. Also in figurative context.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)]
undoc893
untinec950
openOE
to-doOE
undita1225
leesea1325
unfolda1325
unspeara1325
unclosea1350
to open upa1400
disclose?1440
opea1450
unlock?1548
uncask1594
unhinge1624
unsluice1652
reserate1657
OE Homily: Sermonem Angelorum Nomina (Corpus Cambr. 419) in A. S. Napier Wulfstan (1883) 230 Openiað þas geatu and þa fæstan scytelsas, and ic wille gan þæron.
OE Stowe Psalter cxvii. 19 Aperite mihi portas iustitiae : opnyað me gatu rihtwisnysse.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 10828 Heoffness ȝate iss oppnedd me.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) 9723 Duȝeðe scal arisen & oppenien [c1300 Otho hopeni] ure castel-ȝæten.
c1300 Oxf. Student (Harl.) 50 in F. J. Furnivall Early Eng. Poems & Lives Saints (1862) 41 (MED) Oure leuede, as to teche þe wey, hire silue ȝeode bifore And openede þe dore of heuene.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 2057 (MED) Wiȝtly as a wod man, þe windowe he opened.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 1881 Þan opend noe his wyndou, Lete vte a rauen.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 538 The dore of thilk entre, A mayden curteys openyde me.
a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) 3796 (MED) Vpon þe durre, my lady.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 11308 Ne to pas of þis place, ne no port opun.
1588 A. King tr. P. Canisius Cathechisme or Schort Instr. 168 b Knok, and it sall be apened vnto ȝou.
1645 J. Milton On Christ's Nativity: Hymn xv, in Poems 8 Heav'n..Will open wide the Gates of her high Palace Hall.
1709 J. Stevens tr. F. de Quevedo Comical Wks. (ed. 2) 74 He should come in the back-way..and open the Garden Door.
1786 S. Henley tr. W. Beckford Arabian Tale 141 The Angel of Death had opened the portal of some other world.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xx. 404 Huy had opened its gates to the French.
1894 Philos. Trans. 1893 (Royal Soc.) A. 184 550 By opening tap 8 quantities of the mixed gases are drawn over into the explosion-tube.
1949 C. P. Snow Time of Hope ii. xiii. 114 When I arrived in her classroom that afternoon she was just opening a window.
1984 A. Brink Wall of Plague I. 203 At last I forced myself to go to the bathroom and open the taps.
1991 A. Chaudhuri Strange & Sublime Addr. (1992) 168 He opened a connecting door and went into the passage.
b. intransitive. To open a door or gate, esp. so as to allow entrance. Also in figurative context. Frequently in imperative.
ΚΠ
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 208 (MED) Huo þet clepeþ, god him openeþ.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. xxv. 12 Lord, lord, opene to vs.
c1390 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale 289 He that openeth to me shal haue foryifnesse of synne.
c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 16 He closiþ and þan no man opunniþ; he opunniþ and þan no man closiþ.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) v. l. 1018 Opyn he bad, the Captayne cummand was.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Song of Sol. v. 6 Whan I had opened vnto my beloued, he was departed, and gone his waye.
1549 W. Baldwin Canticles of Salomon v. §xl. sig. g. ivv Than vp I rose with diligence To open that he mought cum in.
1613 T. Heywood Siluer Age ii. sig. C3v I. Seruing. Who knocks so late? Gani. Hee that must in, open for Socia, Who brings you newes of the Theban warres.
a1721 Duke of Buckingham Julius Caesar ii. i, in Wks. (1723) I. 252 Some body knocks at Gate, Sir, shall I open?
1841 E. Bulwer-Lytton Night & Morning iii. x Open, in the King's name!
1891 G. Gissing New Grub St. I. vi. 124 Amy rose immediately and went to open.
1925 W. Cather Professor's House i. xvi. 165 Louie's voice called: ‘Cher Papa, shall I disturb you too much?’ St. Peter rose and opened to him.
a1953 E. O'Neill More Stately Mansions (1965) ii. ii. 113 Before you open I must warn you to remember how evil I can be.
1992 S. Doubiago South Amer. Mi Hija 27 It is the voice of my beloved who knocketh, saying Open to me, my sister.
c. intransitive. Of a door, gate, window, etc.: to become open, to change from being closed to being open; (also) to admit of being opened. Also in figurative context.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > become open [verb (intransitive)]
openOE
undo1122
unlouk1340
unfoldc1350
unshut1390
unclosea1398
opena1400
waltc1400
unstopc1440
twirl?1523
disclosec1586
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separate, come, or go apart [verb (intransitive)] > go apart or open
opena1400
sever1797
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) 3783 Him þoȝt þe ȝate opened of heyuen.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll.) 1015 He saw the chambir dore opyn, and there cam oute a grete clerenesse.
1678 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 153 But that Gate, as it opened, made such a creaking, that it waked Giant Despair. View more context for this quotation
1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews I. ii. iv. 176 The Door opened on a sudden, and Horatio entered the room. View more context for this quotation
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth iv, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. I. 111 They were scarce gone ere the door of Glover's house opened.
1864 E. A. Parkes Man. Pract. Hygiene i. ii. 107 The windows should open at the top.
1950 N.Z. Jrnl. Agric. Aug. 132/1 The lift-up gate opens by sliding up between guides fixed to uprights.
1986 P. Grosskurth Melanie Klein i. iv. 75 The door of his private office opened and Klein emerged in tears.
d. transitive. To disengage the bolt of (a lock) so as to permit the thing that it secures to become open; to undo, unfasten. Also intransitive: (of a lock) to become unfastened, to be undone.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > a door, gate, etc. > unlock, unbolt, etc.
undoc950
unloukOE
unsparc1175
unsteekc1250
unpinc1300
unshutc1315
loosec1400
unbarc1400
unlockc1400
open?a1425
unbolt1598
unlatchc1625
unpadlock1769
unsneck1785
undub1807
unslot1827
unsnib1905
snick1927
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) iii. xxix. 234 Swa wurdon geopenode ealle þa locu þære cyrcan mid mycclum swege & hleoðre.]
?a1425 (?c1350) Northern Passion (Rawl.) 3429 Þai opend þe lokkes les and mare, Bot Ioseph þan fand þai noght þare.
1577 J. Dee Gen. Mem. Arte Nauig. 8 This Pety Nauy Royall is thought to be the onely Maister Key wherewith to open all Locks.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) iv. i. 63 Open Lockes, who euer knockes. View more context for this quotation
a1625 J. Fletcher Noble Gentleman v. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ff2/2 A strange locke that opens with Amen.
1678 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 152 I have a Key..that will, I am persuaded, open any Lock in Doubting Castle.
1833 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal II. 267 False keys, and all other counterfeit means of opening locks.
1904 ‘No. 1500’ Life in Sing Sing xiii. 258 He sprung the paddy with a screw, he opened the lock with a key.
1944 D. E. Warland Teach yourself Constructional Details vii. 105 Plates which are fitted to the door frame to take the wear of the mortise lock opening and closing.
2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 8 Nov. c12/6 The systems..open a lock when a guest approaches.
2.
a. transitive. To make (a box, bottle, tomb, or other enclosed space) open by moving a cover or lid, or removing anything that obstructs access; to undo or untie (what is closed by being tied). Also (in early use): †to move or turn a door, gate, etc., of (a building) so as to allow passage in or out (obsolete). Also intransitive: (of an enclosed space) to become open (rare).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > open by freeing of obstruction
openOE
ridlOE
unstop1398
uncumberc1440
redd1488
clear1530
unchoke1588
disencumber1598
disobstruct1611
unblock1611
unchain1616
deobstruct1653
unobstruct1659
free1690
rede1693
to open up1793
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) xviii. 324 Gif man openað deadra manna byrgenu: nast þu hwæðer beoð þæs rican mannes ban, hwæðer þæs þearfan.
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xiv. 147 Byrgenu openodon, mid deadum banum.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6470 Illc an king oppnede þær hiss hord off hise maddmess.
a1325 (c1250) Prov. Hendyng (Cambr.) xxxvi, in Anglia (1881) 4 189 (MED) Wan man ȝevit þe a pig, opin þe powch.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Judges iv. 19 Þe whiche openede a botel off mylke & ȝaf to hym to drynke.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 24423 (MED) Al opind war þair graues sen.
?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 378 Wiþout obediens may noon entre þere, bycause it is openyd wiþ þe keye of obediens.
a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 301 (MED) The Emperour..saide..‘opyn nowe þat vessell..’ And when it was openyd, it was full of golde.
1568 (a1500) Freiris Berwik 352 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1930) IV. 271 Ga belyfe vnto ȝone almerie And oppin it.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) ii. ii. 5 Why then the world's mine Oyster, which I, with sword will open . View more context for this quotation
1673 J. Dryden Marriage a-la-Mode iii. i. 35 She..opens her dear bottle of Mirabilis.
1712 A. Pope Rape of Locke i, in Misc. Poems 366 He first the Snuff-box open'd, then the Case.
1789 W. Blake Chimney Sweeper in Songs of Innocence An angel..open'd the coffins & set them all free.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary III. i. 14 The captain put a small ring-case into the Antiquary's hands, which, when opened, was found to contain an antique ring of massive gold.
1869 A. Trollope Phineas Finn I. viii. 64 A bottle of soda-water, though it is a very lively thing when opened, won't maintain its vivacity beyond a certain period.
1914 E. R. Burroughs Tarzan of Apes vi. 69 He opened chests and cupboards, such as did not baffle his small experience.
1989 C. Dickinson Widows' Adventures ii. 112 She opened a beer and took a big swallow.
b. transitive. To give access to; to make accessible (to a person, for a purpose); spec. (a) to establish newly (a shop, office, or other enterprise) for the entrance of the public or of customers; (b) to make (an existing shop, public house, etc.) available for business again after a period of being closed.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > move towards or approach (a thing, place, or person) [verb (transitive)] > bring near > make accessible
opena1522
to throw open1827
a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1957) ii. ii. 10 Less than to Grekis he oppynnyt the cite.
a1540 (c1460) G. Hay tr. Bk. King Alexander 2001 The town was opnit; all enterit that wald.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. xlvj That no man open his house vnto priuy conuenticles.
1647 R. Boyle Let. 3 May in Wks. (1772) I. p. xxxix Either to bolt heaven against, or open Newgate for all those, that believe [error].
1792 Observer 19 Feb. 3/3 At two o'clock, the buffets were opened, and the company regaled with a cold collation.
1823 I. D'Israeli Curiosities of Lit. 1st Ser. (ed. 7) I. 4 This library..Julius Cæsar once proposed to open for the public.
1840 C. Dickens Master Humphrey's Clock I. 101 A young hairdresser..opened a wery smart little shop vith four wax dummies in the winder.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xiii. 378 The Government..ventured to open the Courts of Justice which the Estates had closed.
1872 ‘M. Twain’ Roughing It lxxviii. 561 On this third day the box-office would be opened for the sale of reserved seats.
1931 Daily Express 16 Oct. 7 Thirty years ago, American boot manufacturers opened shops right and left in this country.
1974 Esquire Mar. 182/3 Central Park, which has been closed to cars and opened to bicycle riders.
1991 APWA Reporter Dec. 12/1 A much needed beltway around the city has been opened.
c. intransitive. Of a shop, office, public house, etc.: to become open for business, to begin to admit customers; (of a manager or proprietor) to make such an establishment open.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > operate [verb (intransitive)] > of a household or business
open1749
run1864
1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure II. 12 As soon then as the evening began, and the shew of a shop was shut, the academy open'd.
1842 C. Mathews Career Puffer Hopkins xxi. 163 Ishmael promised it should be looked to the very hour the court opened.
1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirlaugh III. 157 Law offices opened at eight o'clock in those days.
1952 M. Allingham Tiger in Smoke iv. 68 It was just when we were opening... I was just getting my keys for the spirits.
1991 What's Brewing (BNC) Oct. 2 On licensing issues CAMRA wants the right for pubs to open on Sunday afternoons.
d. transitive. To ceremonially declare (a building, road, service, etc.) to be now ready for public use for the first time; to inaugurate.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > open to public
open1756
the world > existence and causation > causation > initiating or causing to begin > initiate [verb (transitive)] > inaugurate > into public use
inaugurate1852
open1889
inaugur1890
1756 J. Alcock Pious Soul's Heavenly Exercise p. ii At Dudley in Worcestershire, when that Organ was opened, the same Te Deum, Jubilate, and a Grand Anthem, were perform'd.
1865 W. Howitt Hist. Discov. Austral. I. xiii. 207 [The] high road..was then, in modern phraseology, opened by the governor, attended by Mrs. Macquarie, and an escort on horseback.
1889 Bury Times 20 July 8/6 Prince Albert Victor visited Harrogate..and opened the new Buildings of the Bath Hospital.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 48/1 The new buildings of Marischal College fronting Broad Street, opened by King Edward VII. in 1906, form one of the most splendid examples of modern architecture in Great Britain.
1988 R. Dole & E. Dole Doles v. 102 The folks back home are counting on him to open a supermarket or address the local Rotary.
e. transitive. Computing. To bring (a file) into a state in which its contents are visible and can be written to or read; to bring (a window) into a state in which its contents can be seen (as opposed to an iconified state).
ΚΠ
1960 COBOL: Rep. to Conf. Data Syst. Lang. v. vi. 32 The verb open must be applied to all files and must be executed prior to the first read or write of this file.
1981 Your Computer May 100/1 Open, to give the operating system the characteristics of a file so that it can subsequently read or write it.
1995 .net Feb. 29/1 If you have a multi-tasking OS, you can even open another window and view the retrieved file as soon as it comes in.
2002 Pop. Sci. Feb. 14/2 Open a file stored on Sony's new pen-inspired Microvault by simply plugging it into the computer's USB port.
3.
a. transitive. To reveal (the mouth) by parting the lips, esp. in readiness to speak; to part (the lips). to open one's mouth (also lips) (figurative): to speak. †to open a person's mouth (or lips): to give a person the power of speech, to enable a person to speak (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > speak [verb (intransitive)]
matheleOE
speakc888
spellc888
yedc888
i-quethec900
reirdOE
meldOE
meleOE
quidOE
i-meleOE
wordOE
to open one's mouth (also lips)OE
mootOE
spellc1175
carpa1240
spilec1275
bespeakc1314
adda1382
mella1400
moutha1400
utter?a1400
lalec1400
nurnc1400
parlec1400
talkc1400
to say forthc1405
rekea1450
to say on1487
nevena1500
quinch1511
quetch1530
queckc1540
walk1550
cant1567
twang1602
articulate1615
tella1616
betalk1622
sermocinate1623
to give tongue1737
jaw1748
to break stillness1768
outspeaka1788
to give mouth1854
larum1877
to make noises1909
verbal1974
OE Stowe Psalter xxxvii. 14 Sicut mutus non aperiens os suum : swa swa dumb na opniende muð ic eom.
lOE Salisbury Psalter xxxviii. 10 Obmutui et non aperui os meum quoniam tu fecisti : ic swigude & na openode muþ minne forðan þu dydest.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13869 Teȝȝre [sc. the apostles'] muþ þurrh haliȝ gast. Wass oppnedd uss to spellenn.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Wisd. x. 21 Wisdam openede þe mouþ of doumbe men.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 19941 (MED) Petre opend þan his muth..he said, [etc.].
1542 H. Brinkelow Lamentacion sig. Cviiiv He must open his mouthe agaynst Antichriste.
a1564 Q. Kennedy Compend. Ressonyng in 2 Eucharistic Tracts (1964) 178 Bot the psalmist desyrit the Lorde to oppin his lippis.
1584–9 J. Maxwall Commonplace Bk. f. 17 Oppin thy mowth..& defend the gwid men.
1610 Bible (Douay) II. Psalms xxxiv. 21 They opened their mouth awide upon me.
1711 E. Budgell Spectator No. 77. ⁋6 He..thinks a great deal, but never opens his Mouth.
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 427. ⁋1 Too ill-natur'd to open their Lips in Conversation.
1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple I. xiv. 204 The boy was made to open his mouth, while the chaw of tobacco was extracted.
1894 W. E. Norris St. Ann's I. 177 He opened his lips, as if with the intention of putting some further question.
1937 ‘G. Orwell’ Road to Wigan Pier ix.182 I imagined..that I should be spotted as a ‘gentleman’ the moment I opened my mouth.
1993 W. Baldwin Hard to catch Mercy ix. 271 When she opened her mouth, a large gap showed between the two front teeth.
b. transitive. To uncover (an eye) by parting the eyelids, so as to allow one to see; to part (the eyelids); (also) to restore sight to (a person). In extended or allusive use: to open one's eyes (to): to take notice (of), look carefully (at); (also) to adopt an expression of surprise or wonder (at); to open a person's eyes (also to make a person open his (or her) eyes): to cause a person to see; to enlighten or undeceive a person; to cause to appreciate a problematic or unusual situation; (also) to cause a person to stare in astonishment.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > enlightenment > enlighten [verb (transitive)]
to open a person's eyeslOE
clear1399
illumine?1499
illustrate1526
illightena1555
illuminate?1566
unblind1598
irradiate1628
unblindfold1643
to know (also learn, show, teach, tell) (a person) a thing or two1760
illumea1764
enlighten1811
lOE Homily: Evangelium de Virginibus (Corpus Cambr. 303) in H. L. C. Tristram Vier Altenglische Predigten aus der Heterodoxen Trad. (Ph.D. diss., Freiburg) (1970) 445 Þa þe..openiað heora heorta eagene to geseonne godes rice.
c1175 ( Ælfric Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 73 Hwa mihte openiȝan þa unsceapenæ eaȝen and him sihðe ȝifen.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 130 (MED) Þous deþ þe holy gost to þe zeneȝere þe eȝen openi.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) 19788 Wiþ þat ho openid hir eye-lid.
c1480 (a1400) St. Peter 705 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 27 In þat howre god hopnyt þar ewyn.
1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1929) ix. 37 Open your eyes in the pleasaunt scoles Of parfyte connynge.
1560 J. Knox Answer Great Nomber Blasphemous Cauillations 371 I send thee that thou maist open the eyes of those that be blind, that they may conuert from..the power of sathan vnto God.
?a1563 W. Baldwin Beware Cat (1584) 6 Swalowes..with Sellendine open thir yung ones eyes.
1607 R. C. tr. H. Estienne World of Wonders ii. xxxix. 320 The mouse which had eaten vp this breaden god, should haue made them open their eyes to see the cosening tricks wherewith they had bene abused.
1627 Bp. J. Hall Epist. iv. iii. 341 Let vs but open our eyes, we cannot looke beside a lesson.
1641 J. Milton Animadversions 33 Open your eyes to the light of grace, a better guide then Nature.
1676 R. Wiseman Severall Chirurg. Treat. i. xxiii. 132 Without speaking or opening his Eyes for many months, onely some odd mimicall gestures he used.
1744 London Mag. 13 App. 627/2 The Weight of a Land War, supported almost entirely at our Expence, would soon make us open our Eyes.
1769 tr. P. de Charlevoix Hist. Paraguay I. vii. 401 I am likewise come a great way,..to endeavour to make you open your eyes to your nearest concerns.
1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker II. 202 He attempted to open her eyes in the way of exhortation.
1787 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 77 439 The muscles that open the eyelids..may be called the elevator, depressor, adductor, and abductor.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. v. 545 Instead of the money came excuses..which ought to have opened the eyes of all who were not wilfully blind.
1874 Q. Rev. 136 131 Already the eyes of her prelates..are being opened to the hollowness of the plea.
1888 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms xii Father opened his eyes at the price the first pen brought.
1905 G. B. Shaw Let. (1972) II. 551 I have striven hard to open English eyes to the emptiness of Shakespeare's philosophy.
1937 Amer. Home Apr. 66/3 (advt.) Open your eyes and see how the room spreads out to welcome you.
1989 Viz Dec. 6 ‘Open your eyes ref,’ I shouted. ‘Are you blind or something?’
2011 Alberni Valley (Brit. Columbia) Times (Nexis) 19 Dec. a9 In the year-end events it seems there is always something to make you open your eyes wide.
c. transitive. to open one's ears: to listen, esp. willingly or attentively; to pay attention. to open a person's ears: to cause a person to listen or be receptive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > hear [verb (intransitive)] > listen > listen to
listc897
harkc1175
to open one's earsa1200
listenc1290
to listen onc1330
tend1340
to lay to one's eara1382
attend1447
hearken to1526
to listen one's ears (or an ear) toa1533
to hear to1833
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 35 (MED) Hie openeden hi [s] earen to luste þe defles lore.
c1450 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Rawl.) (1869) B. x. l. 77 (MED) God is def now a dayes and deyneth [not] his heres to opne.
1570 J. God Disc. Great Crueltie of Widowe l. 1189 Opening still mine eare To such fond talke as yours.
1606 J. Carpenter Schelomonocham vii. f. 26 He hath not opened..both [his ears] vnto him which hath sinistrelie..slaundered me.
1611 Bible (King James) Isa. l. 5 The Lord God hath opened mine eare, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backe. View more context for this quotation
1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa i. iii. 74 I..began to open my ears, the better to understand so efficacious a proof.
1749 H. Fielding Hist. Tom Jones III. xi. 241 These Demands..grew at last so frequent and exorbitant, that my Father, by slow Degrees, opened his Ears to the Accounts.
1827 J. F. Cooper Prairie II. viii. 132 I have told my son what I cannot, but let him open his ears to what I can do.
1875 E. Clodd Childhood Relig. i. 2 If you wish to open..your ears to the sounds that give forth no unsweet notes.
1925 Woman's World (Chicago) Apr. 20/3 If only we would open our eyes and ears, look and listen.
1994 Gramophone July 79/2 Right from the start she opens your ears to the mystery of shadowland and dark.
2012 F. S. Sizer et al. Nutrition (ed. 2) xiv. 559 Those who are prone to gain weight will often open their ears to news about calories in fast foods.
d. intransitive. Of the mouth, lips, eyes, etc.: to become open, esp. in surprise.
ΚΠ
a1250 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Titus) (1938) 37 (MED) Ha beoð alle se lihte & se swifte ase sunne gleam þat scheot fram est into west as tin ehlid tuineð & opneð.
1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet v. iii. 47 Thus I enforce thy rotten Iawes to open [1597 ope] . View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) ii. i. 324 As mine eyes opend, I saw their weapons drawne. View more context for this quotation
1665 J. Crowne Pandion & Amphigenia ii. 188 When his lips opened to speak, she imagined they smack'd together, as if they were kissing of her.
1739 P. Aubin Noble Slaves iii. 20 At last the Lion's Mouth opened..and a Voice pronounced these Words in French: ‘Christians, you have conquered.’
1799 C. B. Brown Arthur Mervyn I. xii. 111 At length the eyes opened, and a glance, languid but wild, was thrown around.
1801 M. Edgeworth Belinda II. xx. 249 At the word Champfort, Marriott's mouth opened eagerly, and she began to answer with her usual volubility.
1893 M. E. Mann In Summer Shade I. x. 238 Claude's eyes opened slowly upon his brother's face.
1913 D. H. Lawrence Sons & Lovers vii. 147 Her mouth opened, her dark eyes blazed and winced, but she said nothing.
1991 J. Alvarez García Girls i. ii. 30 The father's mouth opened in a little zero of shock.
4.
a. transitive. gen. To cause to spread out or apart; to unfold, unroll, extend, expand; spec. to fold or draw back the coverings of (a bed); to part the covers of (a book) to read its contents. Also intransitive: †to open a book; to alight on a passage when opening a book (obsolete).In to open a letter sometimes with combination of sense 2a, implying that the letter is first removed from its envelope or its seal unfastened, before it is unfolded or unrolled to be read.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > extend [verb (transitive)] > spread (something) out or open
abredeeOE
bredeOE
stretcha1000
to-spreada1000
openOE
spreadc1175
displayc1320
to let outc1380
to open outc1384
outspreada1400
spald?a1400
splayc1402
expand?a1475
to lay along1483
speld?a1500
skail1513
to set abroad1526
to lay abroad1530
flarec1550
bespread1557
to set out1573
dispread1590
explaina1600
expanse1600
dispack1605
splat1615
dispand1656
extend1676
flat1709
spelder1710
spreadeagle1829
OE Stowe Psalter cxliv. 16 Aperis tu manum tuam : openast þu hand þine.
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) ciii. 28 (MED) Þe openand þyn honde [L. aperiente te manum tuam], alle þynges shul be fulfild of godenes.
?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 396 (MED) I am his helper..& wil helpe him, to whom I opene myn armes of benygnyte.
1480 W. Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxxi. 213 He opened the letter that he had folden afore togeder.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. cxxxvv It was not well ment to the Emperor, to stop his packet with letters and to open them.
1570 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xv. 8 Ȝe Mariguildis, forbid the sune To oppin ȝow euerie morrow!
1574 J. Baret Aluearie O 115 To vndooe or open a letter sealed.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 115. ¶8 This opens the Chest.
1761 J. Boswell Let. 17 Dec. in Lett. A. Erskine & J. Boswell (1763) 56 It is Captain Andrew! It is! it is! Ye Gods! he seizes! he opens! he reads!
1794 T. Day Sandford & Merton (1861) 148 He too had a library, although he never opened a book.
1839 I. Taylor Anc. Christianity I. 411 Nor can we do better than open Chrysostom.
c1850 in S. Holland Mem. Sydney Smith (1855) I. iv. 80 I opened on the Sermon on Toleration and could not lay it down.
1885 R. F. Burton tr. Arabian Nights' Entertainm. IV. cclxxxiv. 128 I opened the kerchief and found in it fifty miskals of gold.
1917 D. H. Lawrence in Seven Arts July 280 On one side, was a single bed, opened for the night, the white over-bolster piled back.
1934 H. Roth Call it Sleep i. ix. 68 She opened her two palms in a gesture of emptiness.
1989 B. Chatwin What am I doing Here? 133 In France intellectuals are usually incapable of opening an umbrella.
b. intransitive. To spread out or apart; to expand or unfold; to become broader or wider; = to open out at Phrasal verbs.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > become open [verb (intransitive)] > open by moving apart
opena1398
gape1577
to open out1731
sever1797
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 59 Be drawinge and be fonginge of wynd, þe bladdir openith and sprediþ.
a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail xliii. 299 (MED) The Rose Openede neuere the More.
1577 R. Willes in R. Willes & R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Hist. Trauayle W. & E. Indies f. 233v The mouth of the northwesterne streict..openeth southerly more and more, vntyll it come vnder the tropike of Cancer.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball vi. i. 653 When these buddes do open and spreade, [etc.].
1648 A. Ross Mystagogvs Poeticvs (ed. 2) x. 234 The Marigold..opens or shuts with the Sun.
1698 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 20 4 For which purpose a Tripos may be best, whose Legs open and shut by Joynts at the Top.
1761 B. Stillingfleet Cal. Flora 3 Asp flower buds begin to open.
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. II. xxix. 297 The little flag..opened once more to the breeze.
1915 W. Cather Song of Lark i. x. 72 Her hands, hanging at her sides, were opening and shutting rapidly.
1992 J. Herbert Shrine (BNC) 269 Her legs opened, her thighs spreading around him.
c. transitive. To expand or enlarge (a hole, orifice, or aperture). Now Mechanics.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > expansion or enlargement > expand or enlarge [verb (transitive)] > a hole or aperture
open?a1425
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Hunterian) f. 73v (MED) Blodelesse of þat veine..openneþ þe orifice of þe Emeroides.
1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. iii. 48 The Square-bore is a square Steel Point or shank... Its use is to open a hole [etc.].
1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. iii. 48 To open a hole, is in Smiths language to make the hole wider.
1786 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 76 28 I took a five-sided broach, which opened the hole in the brass.
a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. III. 1721/2 Pivot-broach, a..tool for opening the pivot-holes of watches.
1991 Model Engineer 15 Mar. 314/1 If there is the slightest sign of wobble in this hole, use a boring tool to open it out till it is true.
d. transitive to open one's legs (to someone): (of a woman) to have or invite sexual intercourse (with someone). Cf. open-legged adj. at open adj. Compounds 3.
ΚΠ
a1632 J. Webster & W. Rowley Cure for Cuckold (1661) iv. i Ray. Yes a shoulder, and we'l be there too, or a leg opened with Venison sawce. Comp. No legs opened by your leave; nor no such sawce.]
1702 T. Brown Amusements Serious & Comical (ed. 2) 53 She was soundly beaten by a Spark of hers, sometime since, for opening her Legs so freely to some other Humble Servant.
1960 E. Merriam Trouble with Love 58 I could open my legs and shut my eyes there's nothing so special about his size.
1994 O. Nolla in Callaloo 17 749 On several occasions he will think of his white town and his bed so clean and of the beautiful Maricarmen opening her legs to him.
2000 R. Topping Kevin & Perry go Large ix. 85 Brainless little dolly birds who'd sooner open their legs than start a conversation.
e. transitive. Originally and chiefly in Dance (also in Martial Arts, Yoga, etc.). To move (one or both arms, legs, etc.) from a closed to an open position, i.e. away from the body or from each other. Also occasionally intransitive.
ΚΠ
1913 C. D'Albert Dancing: Techn. Encycl. v. at Cambré, pas Open the heels and pivot on the toes... Raise the shoulders..then pivot on the heels, opening the toes..and assemblé.
1922 C. W. Beaumont & S. Idzikowski Man. Theory & Pract. Classical Theatr. Dance ii. i. 42 Raise the right arm to the fourth position en avant, and open it to the second position.
1952 L. Kersley & J. Sinclair Dict. Ballet Terms 84 The legs may beat before opening.
1992 Yoga Jrnl. Jan. 80/1 To practice this pose, sit on the floor and open the legs to the sides widely, but not to an extreme.
2000 M. Ondaatje Anil's Ghost 181 Her body taut as an arm, the music brutal and loud in her head, while she waits for the rhythm to angle off so she can open her arms and leap.
f. transitive. Sport. to open (up) one's stance: to make one's stance more open (see open stance n. at open adj. Compounds 3).
ΚΠ
1925 Washington Post 4 Nov. 16/2 I prefer a slightly more open stance for the midiron than for a wood club... Opening your stance may very likely prove helpful.
1944 Washington Post 4 Apr. 13/2 Coach Clyde Milan has advised the Cuban rookie to open his stance and face the pitcher more squarely.
1957 N.Y. Times 21 Mar. 40/3 Why don't you try opening your stance and facing the batter more?
1977 Sunday Times 9 Jan. 28/3 Greig has been..opening up his stance and pushing back the turning ball with the full face.
1992 Golf Monthly Nov. 18 You want to produce a high-flying soft-landing shot, so open your stance slightly.
5. † d. transitive. To penetrate by force, break through. Obsolete. rare.† h. transitive. To loosen the fibres of (cotton) so that the heavier dirt is readily removed. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To make an opening in; to cut or break into; to make a hole or incision in; spec. to cause (a wound, abscess, etc.) to break open; to break up (ground) by ploughing, digging, etc.; †to make a breach in (a wall or fortification) (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > make an opening or hole in or into
holec1000
openOE
to make way1581
perforate?1660
to make (also have) the sun shine through1679
ventilate1917
society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (transitive)] > penetrate by force > storm or breach walls
brashc1565
force1591
embreach1610
storm1645
open1748
OE West Saxon Gospels: Mark (Corpus Cambr.) ii. 4 Hi openodon þone hrof þar se hælend wæs.
c1300 St. Leonard (Laud) 71 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 458 (MED) He bi-gan openi þe eorþe a luyte, and is oresones he made; A swiþe fair welle þare sprong up.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 273 Þe Oxe openeþ þe lond and kerueþ wiþ cultre and wiþ schare.
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 158 (MED) Þe Iewis fand..ane ymage of þe crucifix, &..þai oppend þe syde þerof, & þer come blude & watir.
1486 Bk. St. Albans sig. evij With his feete he opynys the erth ther he gooth a way.
1531 J. Bellenden tr. H. Boece Chron. Scotl. (1938) I. ii. 512 On the third day his wambe was opinit.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. I. vii. 148 The Speare wherewith Longeus opened Christes side.
c1600 in Balfour's Practicks (1754) 582 Quhen thay opin fish, thay like not gif thay be missel fish or not.
1684 tr. T. Bonet Guide Pract. Physician v. 139 When the Ecchymoma..was just turning to an Abscess, I opened it.
1705 Boston News-let. 15 Jan. 2/2 Elizabeth Whetlie..who would not own that she was with Child, was afterwards opened, and found to be so.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. xiv. 286 A battery of five or six pieces of cannon..would have opened it [sc. a rampart] in a short time.
1794 Hist. in Ann. Reg. 39 They did not..yield to the first summons, but waited until the French General had opened ground.
1808 C. Vancouver Gen. View Agric. Devon xi. 305 The old moorland..had not been opened for time immemorial.
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. IV. 252 If a localised abscess be discovered in the liver, it should be opened and drained.
a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. iii. 37 It is very unusual to open an earthworm without seeing conspicuous spots on the reproductive organs.
1962 O. Pryor Australia's Little Cornwall 92 Some showed considerable promise when the ground was first opened.
b. transitive. To make or produce (an opening or open space of some kind) by cutting, breaking in, or breaking up; also figurative. to open a trench (also trenches): to dig a trench (or trenches), esp. in order to approach a besieged place.to open a gap: see gap n.1 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > cut open
openOE
to-slita1250
undoc1440
unrip1481
to cut open1786
OE Stowe Psalter vii. 16 Lacum aperuit et effodit eum et incidit in foueam quam fecit : seað he openode & adealf hine & he hreas on seað uel on pit þone he worhte.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1969) Isa. xli. 18 I..shal opene in heeȝe hillis Floodis, & in þe myddil of feeldis wellis.
a1400 (?a1325) Medit. on Supper of our Lord (Harl.) (1875) 858 (MED) A spere he sette to crystys syde; He launced and opun [v.r. openede] a wounde ful wyde.
a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) vii. 16 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 138 (MED) Þe slough he opened, and it groue he [v.r. grof with spade], And in dyke he felle þat he made to be.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) vii. 16 The lake he oppynd and vp grofe it.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VII f. xxix But the Italians her awne..chyldren opened the gappe, and made the waye of her destruccion.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 689 Soon had his crew Op'nd into the Hill a spacious wound. View more context for this quotation
1684 J. P. von Valcaren Relation Siege Vienna 3 He had resolved to leave the Place, where he had not yet opened the Trenches.
1727 J. Keith Mem. (1843) 71 We expected immediately to have open'd the trenches, but very misfortunately we had no cannon.
1753 T. Smollettt Ferdinand Count Fathom II. xxxv. 21 Snatching up a poker, with one stroke [he] opened a deep trench upon the attorney's skull.
a1822 P. B. Shelley Arethusa in Posthumous Poems (1824) 157 Alpheus bold..With his trident..opened a chasm In the rocks.
1897 J. H. Windsor Westward Movement xi. 189 The fort beat off the fleet, and Glavez brought up his land forces and opened trenches.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 883/1 Zeus with a thunderbolt opened a chasm.
1962 M. Trevor Newman vii. 15 Now the family disaster..suddenly opened an abyss in his happy and active life.
1993 B. Wood Rebel Angel (BNC) 219 The Tree Spirits were scrabbling at the earth..so that, quite soon, a deep trench was opened.
c. intransitive. To burst open or come apart, esp. so as to display the interior, or create a space allowing access or view. the heavens open: it begins to rain heavily.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > become open [verb (intransitive)]
openOE
undo1122
unlouk1340
unfoldc1350
unshut1390
unclosea1398
opena1400
waltc1400
unstopc1440
twirl?1523
disclosec1586
OE tr. Pseudo-Apuleius Herbarium (Vitell.) (1984) iv. 48 Wið nædran slite..lege ðu þa wyrte þærto, sona hit sceal openian.
c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) 2168 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 168 (MED) Heom þouȝte..Þat þe eorþe openede onder heom for-to swolewen hem a-liue.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3773 Erðe..opnede vnder ere fet.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 4373 But yon wal, which hym doth close, Opene that I may hym see.
c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) 2235 The erth..opynd..And sodanly þei sanke to hell.
a1500 ( Vision E. Leversedge in Notes & Queries Somerset & Dorset (1905) 9 27 The firmament opynd and my saule was browȝt into a fair gret lyȝt and joy.
a1525 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1923) I. 302 Than opinnit the hevinnis & ranyt xl dayis.
a1591 H. Smith Serm. (1594) 262 At last his shackell falleth from him,..the prison openeth and [etc.].
1648 Polexena iv. ii. 219 He..did so vively resent it, that the most of his wounds opened againe.
1698 J. Tutchin White-Hall in Flames II. 6 Here the Earth opens, there it quakes.
1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 15 My Wound opened again with riding.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VI. 170 The bony covers open and give it [sc. water] a free passage.
1808 J. Austen Let. 27 Dec. (1995) 159 Mary's face is pretty well, but she must have suffered a great deal with it—an abscess was formed & open'd.
1851 H. Melville Moby-Dick lviii. 307 When under the feet of Korah and his company the live ground opened and swallowed them up.
1963 A. Smith Throw out Two Hands vi. 71 The heavens open in their own African fashion to turn the murram roads into sloshy causeways.
1995 Stornoway Gaz. 13 July 8/6 After 300 years his grave opens, and he comes into the ken of the living.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (transitive)] > penetrate by force > breach enemy's ranks
breakc1275
slap1513
open1523
burst1847
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cxxx. 158 Certayne frenchemen..perforce opyned the archers of the princes batayle, and came and fought with the men of armes hande to hande.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. clx. 195 To the entent they somwhat to breke and to opyn the archers.
e. transitive. To cut open the leaves of (a book) when they have been left joined along an edge during the making; to cut open (the leaves) of such a book.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > book > [verb (transitive)] > cut open leaves of book
cut1786
open1815
1815 J. Austen Let. 23 Nov. (1995) 298 We have heard much of Scott's account of Paris... Would you favour us with it—supposing you have any set already opened?
1989 Daily Tel. 25 Feb. (Weekend Suppl.) p. xiii/7 I..watched him open the uncut pages of a handsome volume with his spectacles..which..left the edge of each page in tatters.
f. transitive. To break or interrupt (an electric circuit); to put (a switch or circuit-breaker) into a condition in which there is no path through it for an electric current.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > circuit > circuit-breaker > interrupt circuit [verb (transitive)]
open1832
to make or break contactc1860
1832 Philos. Mag. 2nd Ser. 11 406 In the voltaic pile having a certain degree of electric tension, the sparks pass between the zinc and copper poles, either in the case of opening or of closing the circuit.
1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy iv. 103 If B wishes to communicate with A he..opens the switch.
1924 E. B. Wedmore & H. Trencham Switchgear for Electr. Power Control xxiii. 252 A smart operator can open a medium-voltage circuit safely with a plain lever switch.
1962 Newnes Conc. Encycl. Electr. Engin. 735/1 The circuit-breaker contacts are held closed by springs and the contacts are opened in the event of a fault by the overcurrent in a series solenoid coil.
1975 M. Mandl Basics of Electr. vi. 123 When voltage is applied to the coil, the flexible section is pulled down.., opening the switch.
1998 Canal Boat & Inland Waterways June 59/2 When you close the tap, the pressure in the piping builds up, until it opens the pressure switch and the pump turns off.
g. intransitive. Of an electric circuit or device: to become open (open adj. 16b); to suffer a break in its conducting path.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > circuit > complete circuit [verb (intransitive)] > become open
open1832
1832 Philos. Mag. 2nd Ser. 11 407 On detaching the lifter, the circuit opens in two places; and either at the one or the other interruption the spark almost constantly appears.
1836 Ann. Electr., Magnetism, & Chem. 1 71 If there is a spark..it is..feeble when compared to that seen when the circuit is opening.
1924 E. B. Wedmore & H. Trencham Switchgear for Electr. Power Control ii. 14 The circuit breaker..is designed to open freely and quickly.
1975 I. Clucas Reed's Electr. for Deck Officers vii. 224 When the main switch is closed the buzzer should sound..and the individual circuits open.
1992 RS Components: Electronic & Electr. Products July 292/2 The N/C contact in the ‘star’ circuit opens and a fixed delay of 100 ms occurs before the N/O contact in the ‘Delta’ circuit closes.
ΚΠ
1853 A. Ure Dict. Arts (ed. 4) II. 696 By a machine generally called a Devil or Opener..the cotton is cleared from its heaviest dirt and opened.
1889 W. Clarke in G. B. Shaw Fabian Ess. Socialism 72 A machine called an ‘opener’, by which 15,000 lbs. of cotton can be opened in 56 hours.
i. transitive. Sport (originally U.S.). to open (up) a gap (also lead): to take the lead in a race and leave a gap between oneself and the nearest competitor. Also in extended use.
ΚΠ
1853 N.-Y. Daily Times 26 July 8/3 The bay horse Neddy was again the victor in the ten mile trotting race over the Metairie, yesterday... Neddy..opened a gap on him, which he maintained to the end.
1909 Chicago Tribune 21 Aug. 7/1 Barney started to burn up the track and opened a big gap, leading the first lap.
1954 Sun (Baltimore) 10 July 9/3 Sans Egal went to the front at once and opened a lead of some six lengths.
1974 State (Columbia, S. Carolina) 3 Mar. 1– d/1 The Paladins opened 11-point leads on three occasions in the final period.
1992 Bowlers' World Dec. 9/4 In the final, Jane opened up an early lead and stayed in the driving seat.
2001 Times 27 Feb. i. 30/1 The firm, which has set a year-end price target of £14.00, reckons Fitness First has opened up a gap over its UK rivals.
j. transitive. To cut or polish (part of a rough gem) so that its interior may be seen. Also with up.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with other materials > work with other materials [verb (transitive)] > cut or polish part of gem
open1916
1916 F. B. Wade Diamonds iv. 105 When in the rough, the cutter can ‘open up’ the stone; that is, polish a tiny spot on the surface through which to study the interior.
1961 G. F. Leechman Opal Bk. vi. 165 Before our find can be made into a jewel it must be cleaned off and ‘opened’ here and there to see just where the colour lies.
1970 E. Bruton Diamonds xvii. 295 It is normally a highly speculative financial operation to buy a coated crystal which has not been opened.
6.
a. transitive. To disclose to the sight; to expose or exhibit to view or display. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > showing to the sight > show to the sight [verb (transitive)]
to set beforea1000
openOE
showlOE
to put forth?c1225
kithe1297
to make (a) showing ofc1330
presenta1398
representa1398
to lay forthc1420
splayc1440
discovera1450
advisea1500
to set to (the) show?1510
to stall out1547
outlay1555
exhibit1573
strew1579
wray1587
displaya1616
ostentate1630
elevate1637
re-exhibita1648
expound1651
unveil1657
subject1720
flare1862
skin1873
patent1889
showcase1939
OE Beowulf 3056 Nefne God sylfa..sealde þam ðe he wolde..hord openian.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1969) Isa. xxvi. 21 Þe erþe shal openen [a1425 L.V. schewe] his blod.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 296v A mayden is y-sette þere he schal come, and sche openeþ hire lappe [L. sinum aperit], and þe vnycorne liþe þere on his heed.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie O 97 Opening their naked pappes.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 318 Herbs of every leaf..Op'ning thir various colours. View more context for this quotation
1748 J. Hervey Medit. (ed. 2) II. 2 The Boughs, rounded into a Set of regular Arches, opened a View into the distant Fields.
1833 G. H. Calvert Volume from Life Herbert Barclay xi. 182 The scene thus suddenly opened to him, saddened Herbert.
1899 Evening Chron. (Newcastle) 14 Mar. The hopper opened her red light and sounded a short blast.
1921 ‘M. Brand’ Seventh Man x. 74 Again it [sc. the ground] shelved away and opened a view of all the valley.
1994 Amer. Spectator Feb. 52/1 Roaring tides twice a day opened a mile of mud flats between waterfront lots and the ocean.
b. intransitive. To be revealed or disclosed; to begin to appear; to become increasingly visible, esp. on nearer approach or change of position. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > visibility > be visible [verb (intransitive)] > appear or become visible
ariseOE
to come in (also to, on, etc.) placec1225
'peara1382
appear1382
kithea1400
to show out?a1425
muster?1435
to come forthc1449
to look outa1470
apparish1483
to show forth1487
come1531
to come out?1548
peer1568
to look through1573
glimpse1596
loom1605
rise1615
emicate1657
emike1657
present1664
opena1691
emerge1700
dawn1744
to come down the pike1812
to open out1813
to crop out1849
unmask1858
to come through1868
to show up1879
to come (etc.) out of thin air1932
surface1961
a1691 G. Fox Jrnl. (1952) (modernized text) 7 So that which opened in me, I saw, struck at the priest's ministry.
1708 J. Philips Cyder ii. 86 Joy and Pleasure open to the View.
1782 W. Cowper Table Talk in Poems 265 The varied fields of science, ever new, Opening and wider opening on her view.
a1822 P. B. Shelley Summer 6 The stainless sky Opens beyond them like eternity.
1842 E. Bulwer-Lytton Zanoni v. 29 Mournful Campagna, thou openest on us in majestic sadness.
1844 E. B. Browning Brown Rosary iii. ii Down through the wood..Till the chapel-cross opens to sight.
1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) I. 420 Plato had the wonders of psychology just opening to him.
1917 E. Wharton Summer xiv. 203 She had not wholly forgotten the vision of fear that had opened before her in the Town Hall.
1994 J. Updike Brazil iv. 30 A cruelly splendiferous view of the sun-hammered sea, with its sailboats and islands, opened before their wincing eyes.
c. transitive. To expose, without defence or protection, to; to make liable, subject, or vulnerable to something undesirable.
ΚΠ
a1804 W. Blake Four Zoas in Poetry (1965) II. 308 The Mans exteriors are become indefinite opend to pain In a fierce hungring void.
1961 Notes & Queries Nov. 440/1 He once or twice opens himself to the suspicion of liking the low simplicity and praising it for the high.
1990 Rolling Stone 12 July 29/1 It has..opened him to a fair share of flak.
7.
a. transitive. To clear of obstruction or hindrance; to make (a road, etc.) free for passage; (Chess) to clear (a file) of pawns. Frequently to open the (also a) way and figurative.
ΚΠ
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 163 (MED) Þe way was opened forto take wreche of al olde wreþþe.
c1475 tr. A. Chartier Quadrilogue (Univ. Coll. Oxf.) (1974) 205 The vntrue effusions of the blood of mankynde, which han broken the bonde of iustice and open [a1500 Rawl. made opyn] the weye of abhominacion.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. lxx It opened the waye to rebellion, sedition, and to ciuile warres.
1573 Life Frith in Wks. (1829) 73 Wherewithal he might have opened an easy way unto honour and dignity.
1601 R. Johnson tr. G. Botero Trauellers Breuiat 99 The Turkish Emperor..thirsting to open a way into Moscouie.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 809 Thou op'nst Wisdoms way, And giv'st access. View more context for this quotation
1710 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum II Sap, in Fortification, is digging deep under the Earth,..to open a way to come under cover to the Passage of the Moat.
1782 J. H. St. J. de Crèvecoeur Lett. from Amer. Farmer ii. 43 They [sc. wasps]..are enabled..to open themselves a passage from these recesses into the sunshine.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xxxiii. 188 Not without hope that some way of escape might yet be opened to him.
1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles I. xiv. 169 The field had already been ‘opened’; that is to say, a lane a few feet wide had been hand-cut through the wheat..for the first passage of the horses and machine.
1915 J. Du Mont tr. E. Lasker Chess Strategy 224 White decides to sacrifice a Knight in order to open the files in the centre for his Rooks.
1930 Flight 25 July 837/1 You invented the hydroaeroplane..and thus opened the way for trans-Atlantic flight.
1991 Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey) 24 Feb. i. 18/6 To open the way for advancing allied troops, columns of U.S. armor punched into Iraqi territory behind vehicles equipped with plows.
b. transitive. To remove obstructions from or widen (the pores); to make (a bodily passage) clear of obstructions; to cause evacuation of (the bowels). Formerly also: †to remove (obstructions) from bodily passages (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > treatments removing or dispersing matter > remove or disperse [verb (transitive)] > clear of obstruction
opena1398
disoppilate1577
disobstruct1611
deoppilate1620
deobstruct1653
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 56v Þe lyuour is agreued somtyme by grete feruent hete þat openeþ þe poores wiþinne.
?a1425 (?1373) Lelamour Herbal (1938) f. 43v (MED) Maworte..is gode to vpyn þa stoppinge of the leure and the mylt.
?c1450 in G. Müller Aus Mittelengl. Medizintexten (1929) 42 (MED) Þis clistyr will opynnyn a mannys guttys and diliuerin hem well.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Gouernaunce of Princis (1993) xxiii. 92 Blude lattingis..opnys the clos termes of the passagis of humouris.
a1500 tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1977) 3 (MED) Aftir þat, kembe thine hed, for þat openith þe poris of þe hed.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball i. xxxvii. 56 The juyce..openeth the conductes of the nose.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. x. 23 He with his victour sword first opened The bowels of wide Fraunce.
1653 N. Culpeper Pharmacopœia Londinensis i. 6 [Endive] opens obstructions and provokes urine.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Hellebore Sternutatory Powder, to clear and open the Head.
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Aperitive, that..has the quality of opening the excrementitious passages of the body.
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. IV. 420 The bowels should be well opened at the onset by a brisk purgative.
1920 A. MacLeish Let. 5 Dec. (1983) 77 The purpose of all intelligent men in opening their pores is exercise & physical well being.
2001 N. Jones Rough Guide Trav. Health ii. 180 Apart from the obvious difficulty in opening your bowels, constipation often leads to more generalized unpleasant feelings.
8.
a. intransitive. (Of a door, gate, road, etc.) to give access to, lead into, on to, or toward (formerly also with upon); (of a room) to have or provide an opening into, on to; (of a building, window, etc.) to have an outlook or opening on to, towards, upon, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > move towards [verb (intransitive)] > give access
open1419
to open a gap1535
the world > space > relative position > opposite position > be opposite [verb (intransitive)] > face > with opening
open1419
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > have an opening or aperture [verb (intransitive)]
open1589
1419 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 14 (MED) All dores that opyns apon the dyke be closed.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 4209 The utter gate..openeth toward the eest.
1463 in S. Tymms Wills & Inventories Bury St. Edmunds (1850) 32 (MED) I will thanne she haue..hire chambyr..next the welle, with a dore openyng in to the lane.
1502 Protocol Bk. J. Foular (1930) I. 170 That the dure abone the satre of Welchis land opinand to the said wind suld be closit.
1578 J. Rolland Seuin Seages 71 In ane windo that oppinnit vp to the gait.
1589 R. Lane in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 739 This Riuer openeth into the broad sound of Weopomiok.
1615 W. Bedwell Arabian Trudgman in tr. Mohammedis Imposturæ sig. M Babe'lmandeb,..is the mouth of the Arabian gulfe [i.e. Red Sea], by which it openeth and falleth into the Red sea [i.e. Indian Ocean].
1631 Linlithgow Burgh Rec. 11 Mar. in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue V. 92/2 Ane opin dore..opinand wp wpone James Gibbisones ȝeard.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 110 A Cot that opens to the South prepare. View more context for this quotation
1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 149 The back Road..opened into the said great Road.
1770 H. Brooke Fool of Quality V. xvii. 236 A door that opened into a garden, and..another door that opened to the street.
1801 Lusignan III. 155 A library, opening through a greenhouse on to a lawn.
1817 J. Evans Excursion to Windsor 268 The house, an old one, opens upon seven acres of ground.
1825 W. Cobbett Rural Rides in Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 26 Nov. 530 I saw a lane opening in the right direction.
1839 J. Yeowell Anc. Brit. Church xii. 140 A valley opening to the sea shore.
1885 Law Times 80 5/1 The rooms have an outer door opening on to a common staircase.
1893 A. Newton et al. Dict. Birds: Pt. II ii. 522 Secondary Bronchi.., besides opening into Air-sacs, send off a number of radially-arranged parabronchia.
1918 ‘B. MacNamara’ Valley of Squinting Windows 207 He went very timidly up to the back-door, which opened upon a little, secluded passage.
1991 Southwest Winter 6/3 A stuccoed exterior opens onto cascading pools that recall Mexican architect Luis Barragan's modern, magical designs.
b. intransitive. To be reached out of. Also with off.
ΚΠ
1834 M. Scott Cruise of Midge ix, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Nov. 649/2 The cabin had two state-rooms opening off it.
1883 G. C. Davies Norfolk Broads (1884) i. 7 The little ‘pulks’ or miniature Broads, which everywhere open off the river.
1885 ‘Rita’ Like Dian's Kiss i. 7 Room after room, one opening out of another.
1929 E. Bowen Last September I. i. 5 Four rooms opened off it; at any moment a door might be opened.
1956 R. J. C. Atkinson Stonehenge v. 149 The tomb has..two pairs of chambers opening off its sides.
1956 R. Macaulay Towers of Trebizond viii. 78 It was a nice hotel,..and all the rooms opened out of a circular hall on the first floor.
1978 J. Wain Pardoner's Tale i. 17 The cottage..was half-way down a wild valley that opened off the main coast road.
1981 G. Household Summon Bright Water i. 11 There were four or five other cells opening out of the passage.
9. † c. transitive. To dissolve, decompose. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To divide (a military formation) into two or more, so as to leave a gap between groups of soldiers.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being scattered or dispersed > scatter [verb (transitive)] > space out > so as not to be crowded together
opena1450
to open out1796
a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) f. 83v (MED) In þis manere of fiȝtinge þow openest [v.r. openyth] and makist bare þe myddes of þy scheltrun, and nedeliche þou departest þyn oost in two.
1592 B. Rich Aduentures Brusanus iii. xiv. 152 The Piemounts..retired amongst them in whole troupes for their owne safe garde, and the Captaines vnskilfull how to open their ranckes to let them in.
1613 F. Beaumont Knight of Burning Pestle v. sig. I4 Open your files that I may take a view both of your persons and munition: Sergeant call a muster.
1797 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry (rev. ed.) App. 261 The leading troop..opens its ranks, at which time the officers..move into the front of the troop.
1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. iv. 154 From the centre open your Files.
1994 R. A. Gabriel & D. W. Boose Great Battles Antiq. vii. 262 Some chariots struck at the infantry, who opened their ranks and let the machines rush through.
b. intransitive. Of a military formation or a crowd: to divide or part so as to leave a gap.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being scattered or dispersed > scatter or be dispersed [verb (intransitive)] > be scattered at intervals > space out or not crowd together
open1675
to open out1818
1675 H. Neville tr. N. Machiavelli Narr. Murther V. Vitelli in tr. N. Machiavelli Wks. 255 His Horse..opening to the right and left,..made room for the Foot.
1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. i. i. 17 The People..immediately opened to the right and left to avoid the Torrent.
1814 M. Edgeworth Patronage III. xxix. 165 The crowd opened, and Mrs. Hungerford led her forward.
1840 C. F. Hoffman Greyslaer II. 167 Their ranks opened with such quickness that they seemed to melt like a wave before De Roos's impetuous charge.
1895 S. Crane Red Badge of Courage iii. 37 The ranks opened covertly to avoid the corpse.
1938 M. S. Burt Powder River xxiv. 177 The ranks opened and the troopers disappeared as if into a red and bleeding mouth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > cause bad condition in [verb (transitive)] > cause to decompose, crumble, or melt away
dissolvec1384
consume1585
break1597
moulder1603
moulter1636
discoagulatea1658
open1686
disintegrate1794
decompose1841
1686 W. Harris tr. N. Lémery Course Chym. (ed. 2) i. vi. 127 Verdegrease is nothing but a Copper opened.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Purgative The more the saline Part is set loose by Preparation, and opening the Sulphur..the speedier..will it operate.
10. Nautical.† b. intransitive. To become distinct or separate to the view. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To come in sight of, get a clear view of, by rounding or passing an intervening object. Cf. open adj. 10.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [verb (transitive)] > set a ship's course > come in sight of
rear1555
open1574
make1587
raise1589
1574 W. Bourne Regim. for Sea (1577) 272 Those markes [be] very slowe and asketh some distance in sayling to open and shette them, which are neare together vpon the lande.
1591 R. Flick in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1599) II. 177 The Costely..did weigh to bring her selfe more neere among us..and in opening the land discouered two sayles,..whereupon shee gave us a warning piece.
1660 T. Allin Jrnl. 13 Dec. (1939) (modernized text) I. i. 12 We opened Andros as we passed Syria.
1768 J. Byron Narr. Patagonia 94 As soon as we opened the head-land to the westward of us.
1898 R. Kipling Fleet in Being v. 46 The tide's setting us up a little... We shall open Dunboy House in a minute round the corner.
1925 H. Belloc Cruise of Nona 169 Never have I opened Torbay in passing Berry Head but it was morning.
1959 F. Friedel Golden Age Amer. Hist. 355 Captain Downie hove to with his four large vessels when he had fairly opened the bay.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > visibility > be visible [verb (intransitive)] > be clearly visible > appear distinct
open1745
the world > space > distance > distance or farness > be or remain at a distance [verb (intransitive)] > be at a distance apart > appear to be
open1745
1745 P. Thomas True Jrnl. Voy. South-Seas 56 The Town of Payta..began to open in a direct line with it [sc. the Point that forms the Bay].
1854 H. Moseley Lect. Astron. (ed. 4) i. 2 The lights..will appear to separate, or in the nautical phrase, they will open.
11. † a. intransitive. Of the weather: to become mild, spec. free from frost, snow, and ice (cf. open adj. 12a). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > fine weather > [verb (intransitive)] > become clear of frost
give1678
open1678
1678 Lady Chaworth in 12th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1890) App. v. 45 As soone as the weather opens to allow travelling.
1888 W. E. Gladstone Diary 3 Jan. (1994) XII. 89 The weather opened perceptibly.
b. transitive. = to open up at Phrasal verbs.
ΚΠ
1762 A. Dickson Treat. Agric. iii. ii. 319 All kinds of manures open the soil.
1992 Lee Valley Tools Christmas Gift Catal. (Lee Valley Tools, Ottawa) 8/2 The miniature ploughshare design makes it perfect for opening the soil for seeding or setting out transplants.
II. Non-physical senses.† 13. transitive. To explain the sense of, clarify; to expound, interpret. Obsolete.
12. † b. transitive and intransitive. To confess (a sin). Obsolete.† e. transitive. To announce, declare; to make known or public. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To make known to the mental or spiritual view; to reveal, disclose (a matter, purpose, intention, etc.) (to); = to open out at Phrasal verbs. Now English regional (southern).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > [verb (transitive)]
uppec897
atewOE
sutelec1000
openOE
awnc1175
kithec1175
forthteec1200
tawnec1220
let witc1275
forthshowa1300
to pilt out?a1300
showa1300
barea1325
mythc1330
unfoldc1374
to open outc1390
assign1398
mustera1400
reyve?a1400
vouchc1400
manifest?a1425
outshowc1425
ostendc1429
explayc1443
objecta1500
reveala1500
patefy?1509
decipher1529
relieve1533
to set outa1540
utter1542
report1548
unbuckle1548
to set forth1551
demonstrate1553
to hold forth1560
testify1560
explicate1565
forthsetc1565
to give show of1567
denudec1572
exhibit1573
apparent1577
display?1578
carry1580
cipher1583
laya1586
foreshow1590
uncloud?1594
vision1594
explain1597
proclaim1597
unroll1598
discloud1600
remonstrate1601
resent1602
to bring out1608
palesate1613
pronounce1615
to speak out1623
elicit1641
confess1646
bear1657
breathe1667
outplay1702
to throw out1741
evolve1744
announce1781
develop1806
exfoliate1808
evince1829
exposit1882
pack1925
OE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Cambr. Univ. Libr.) i. vii. 36 Albanus..cyðde and openade þam ehterum Godes geleafan, þæt he cristen wære.
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 27 Min fader on heuene hit openede in to þine herte.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Esth. (Bodl. 959) v. 8 To morewe I shal openen to þe king my wil.
a1400 Prose Life Christ (Pepys) (1922) 80 Ȝif he seide þat men schulde ȝiuen it, hij schulden cryen it & openen it to þe folk.
?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 113 (MED) I haue levyr abyde respyt to kepe þi sone in priuite..þan þat it xulde be opynd by me.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. xi. f. xv Nether knoweth eny man the father, save the sonne, and he to whome the sonne will open hym.
?1542 H. Brinkelow Complaynt Roderyck Mors xix. sig. E4v There may he open his matter hymself.
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Matt. xvi. 87 Nor open it to others that he was Messias.
1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales ii. xviii. 59 Sentius openeth that by letters to Piso; warning him not to go about to tempt the armie with corrupters.
1668 F. Kirkman Eng. Rogue II. xxxi. 310 After few words, he opened to me the matter.
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1647 (1955) II. 539 My Sister, opened to me her Marriage.
1722 D. Defoe Moll Flanders 401 This was a thing I knew not how to open to him, and yet..the Burthen was too heavy for my mind.
1771 E. Ledwich Antiquitates Sarisburienses 121 Striking incidents..which, if preserved, would open their real characters.
1804 European Mag. 45 42/2 The plan of the work is fully opened in the Preface.
1865 Leaves from Diary Celebrated Burglar 100 He ‘opened’ to the ‘coppers’ everything concerning his arrangements with us.
1895 Daily News 4 Jan. 3/7 I knew then that Selby had got a bit more [money] than he opened to me.
1923 E. Gepp Essex Dial. Dict. (ed. 2) 83 ‘I don't keer what he open about me’ means ‘what stories he tells.’
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > acknowledgement, avowal, or confession > acknowledge, avow, or confess [verb (transitive)] > confess (sins)
showc1175
opena1225
shrivea1300
confessc1386
a1225 ( Rule St. Benet (Winteney) (1888) 25 Hyre lifes dedan ȝeman on elce tyde..þo yfole ȝeþanc þe cumeð to hyre hurte, anan [an] Crist toslean, & hyre gastliche lareowe hiȝ openian [OE Corpus Cambr. andedtan; L. patefacere].
c1450 Speculum Christiani (Harl. 6580) (1933) 102 (MED) If synne be opynde be confession truly, of a grete synne es made a litul.
a1500 Disciplina Clericalis in W. Reserve Univ. Bll. (1919) 22 70 (MED) At the last he opened and [was] deemed into deth of his owne confessioun.
c. transitive. to open one's heart: to reveal one's (esp. most intimate or private) feelings, thoughts, secrets, etc.; to reveal or confess everything; to unburden oneself.to open one's mind: see mind n.1 17c.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or make revelations [verb (intransitive)] > reveal one's true character > one's thoughts or feelings
to open one's hearta1250
to break one's mind (heart)a1450
to show one's mind1492
to fish out the bottom of a person's stomach1537
to utter (the bottom of) one's stomach1537
to show one's true colours?1551
to come out1836
to open out1855
to come (out) in (also into) the open1861
disembosom1884
unbutton1956
to go public1957
a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 283 (MED) A swete ihesu, þu oppnes me þin herte for to cnawe witerliche and in to reden trewe luue lettres.
a1425 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (1987) iii. 1239 Right so Criseyde, whan hire drede stente, Opned hire herte, and tolde hym hire entente.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 553 He onswared hir onest[l]y, opynond his hert.
1652 C. Cotterell tr. G. de Costes de La Calprenède Cassandra iii. 208 To open his heart to her without any disguisal.
1769 F. Brooke Hist. Emily Montague II. cxx. 220 She opened to me all her heart on the subject of her love for Rivers.
1847 E. Bennett Bandits of Osage v. v. 119 He opened to me his devilish heart.
1924 W. S. Rainsford Story of Varied Life xxx. 462 I went to my faithful friend..and opened to him my heart.
1992 News of World 15 Nov. 1/4 He wept as he opened his heart to one trusted friend.
d. intransitive. Originally: †to speak out, to proclaim what one knows (obsolete). Later: spec. to declare one's thoughts or feelings, to unburden oneself; = to open up at Phrasal verbs. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > state or declare [verb (intransitive)] > one's opinion or position
opena1382
to show one's mind1492
to speak one's mindc1500
to speak (also give) one's sense1646
position1647
to declare for1669
explain1709
to come out1836
to go on record1867
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) 3 Kings xiii. 25 Men goynge seeȝen þe careyn þrowen in þe weie & a leoun stondynge besides þe careyn, & þei camyn & openeden [a1425 L.V. pupplischiden; L. divulgaverunt] in to þe cite.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 1 (MED) Of which correpcioun first openyng or doing to wite, thanne next blamyng, and aftirward biseching.
a1475 J. Shirley Death James (BL Add. 5467) in Miscellanea Scotica (1818) II. 13 He wold haf playnely opynd and told hym of the purpos of all the traitours.
c1565 T. Palmer Emblems: 200 Poosees (1988) 80 God hathe appointed..the preachers..to..open still.
a1641 R. Montagu Acts & Monuments (1642) 300 His enemies..would soone be quashed and not once dare to open, if hee were at Court.
1753 S. Foote Englishman in Paris ii. 29 It will be impossible for me to divine: But come, open a little.
1775 T. Hutchinson Diary 9 Nov. I. 555 He opened very largely on the state of affairs.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas IV. xii. xiii. 447 He did not open on the subject of Seraphina, nor did we attempt to draw him out.
1830 W. Cobbett Rural Rides in Weekly Polit. Reg. 3 Apr. 420 When I opened, I found that this man was willing to open too.
1841 J. T. J. Hewlett Parish Clerk I. 231 If he opens upon it I'll give him a sound thrashing.
1970 G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard iv. 114 He wasn't likely to open to the wrong person.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > publishing or spreading abroad > publish or spread abroad [verb (transitive)]
sowc888
blowc1275
dispeple1297
to do abroadc1300
fame1303
publyc1350
defamea1382
publisha1382
open?1387
proclaima1393
slandera1400
spreada1400
abroachc1400
throwc1400
to give outa1425
promote?a1425
noisec1425
publicc1430
noisec1440
divulgea1464
to put outc1475
skail1487
to come out witha1500
bruit1525
bruita1529
to bear out1530
divulgate1530
promulgate1530
propale?1530
ventilate1530
provulgate1535
sparple1536
sparse1536
promulge1539
disperse1548
publicate1548
forthtell1549
hurly-burly?1550
propagate1554
to set abroada1555
utter1561
to set forth1567
blaze1570
evulgate1570
scatter1576
rear?1577
to carry about1585
pervulgate1586
celebrate?1596
propalate1598
vent1602
evulge1611
to give forth1611
impublic1628
ventilate1637
disseminate1643
expose1644
emit1650
to put about1664
to send abroad1681
to get abroad1688
to take out1697
advertise1710
forward1713
to set abouta1715
circulate1780
broadcast1829
vent1832
vulgate1851
debit1879
float1883
?1387 T. Wimbledon Serm. (Corpus Cambr.) (1967) 122 (MED) He schal schewe þere þe hidde þyngis of oure herte, openynge to al þe world þe riȝtfulnesse of his dom.
1425 in H. Nicolas Proc. & Ordinances Privy Council (1834) III. 172 (MED) Youre said comissaries..oponed and declared a promesse þat ye made at Duresme.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. cxxxviijv When this matter was opened through Englande, howe the greate men toke it..the poore curssed, ye riche repugned.
1562 in J. Strype Ann. Reformation (1709) I. xxxi. 310 That the sum of mony by him given be opened by the parson, vicar or curate, to the parish.
1631 T. Goffe Raging Turke ii. v He cashierd my daughter from his house, And to the worlds broad eye, opened her crime.
1656 in T. Burton Diary (1828) I. 57 I cannot but dissent from the gentlemen that have opened it to be blasphemy.
f. transitive (reflexive). To reveal or confess one's intentions or feelings.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or reveal [verb (reflexive)] > disclose one's thoughts or feelings
open1548
relate1625
unbowel1647
unbosoma1659
disembosom1767
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clij Before his purpose was openly published, and hys frendes opened theim selfes.
1579 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 66 To be very chary and circumspect in opening himselfe.
1691 Duke of Ançon 46 He durst not open himself to the Queen upon that Subject.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 240. ⁋1 When he was grown familiar with me he opened himself like a good Angel.
1794 W. Godwin Caleb Williams II. viii. 124 Having thus opened myself to this generous friend as far as I could do it with propriety and safety, he sat for some time silent.
1800 J. Moore Mordaunt III. lxvii. 16 My brother has at length opened himself fully to me on the grand article.
1889 R. L. Stevenson Master of Ballantrae vi. 182 My lord, finding me alone, opened himself a little more on the same head.
1932 T. E. Lawrence tr. Homer Odyssey xvi Open yourself to him and concert a way to slaughter the suitors.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > explanation, exposition > expound, explain [verb (transitive)]
arecchec885
unloukOE
overrunOE
sutelec1000
trahtnec1000
unfolda1050
belayc1175
openc1175
onopena1200
accountc1300
undo?a1366
remenea1382
interpret1382
unwrap1387
exploitc1390
enlumine1393
declarec1400
expoundc1400
unplait?c1400
enperc1420
planea1425
clearc1440
exponec1440
to lay outc1440
to give (also carry) lightc1449
unwind1482
expose1483
reducea1500
manifest1530
explicate1531
explaina1535
unlock?1536
dilucidate1538
elucidate1538
illustrate1538
rechec1540
explicate1543
illucidate1545
enucleate1548
unsnarl1555
commonstrate1563
to lay forth1577
straighten1577
unbroid1577
untwist1577
decipherc1586
illuminate1586
enlighten1587
resolvec1592
cipher1594
eliquidate1596
to take (a person) with one1599
rivelc1600
ravel1604
unbowel1606
unmist1611
extricate1614
unbolta1616
untanglea1616
enode1623
unperplexa1631
perspicuate1634
explata1637
unravel1637
esclarea1639
clarify1642
unweave1642
detenebrate1646
dismystery1652
undecipher1654
unfork1654
unparadox1654
reflect1655
enodate1656
unmysterya1661
liquidatea1670
recognize1676
to clear upa1691
to throw sidelight on1726
to throw (also cast, shed) light on (also upon)1731
eclaircise1754
irradiate1864
unbraid1880
predigest1905
to get (something) straight1920
disambiguate1960
demystify1963
c1175 ( Ælfric Homily: St. Vincent's Day (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 112 Þis godspel is nu isæd sceortlice in Englisc, ac we wyllæð openian eow þæt gastlic andȝit.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 14855 & tatt te laferrd iesu crist. Oppnede þurrh hiss come. Off all þe iudewisshe boc. Þe depe diȝhellnesse.
c1350 Apocalypse St. John: A Version (Harl. 874) (1961) 76 (MED) Þat þe book was open bitokneþ þat he oppened [v.r. opyneþ] holy wrytt þorouȝ his connyng.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke xxiv. 32 Wher oure herte was not brennynge in vs, while he..openyde scripturis to vs?
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 223 It is to hope that..thei schulen no longer so erre, aftir this answere schal be cleerli opened to hem.
a1525 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1923) I. 277 [I] besikis ȝow as to my fader to opyn and schaw vnto me sum of the ald historys in tymes passit.
?a1560 L. Digges Geom. Pract.: Pantometria (1571) iii. xii. sig. R iv v Your quotient openeth how many times the lesser vessell is conteyned in the greater.
1604 H. Broughton Aduert. Corrupt. Handling Relig. sig. O3v The Bible and the Thalmud shalbe opened by Gods help.
1642 tr. W. Ames Marrow Sacred Divinity (title page) A table opening the hard words.
1720 D. Waterland 8 Serm. Divinity of Christ 233 The force of these Expressions I have elsewhere open'd and explain'd.
1766 H. Brooke Fool of Quality II. xii. 292 She opened to me, in a Variety of glittering Prospects, all the Pleasures and Advantages of Wealth.
1792 M. Wollstonecraft Vindic. Rights Woman xiii. 444 The discussion of this subject merely consists in opening a few simple principles.
14.
a. transitive. To make more responsive or sympathetic; to make mentally or emotionally receptive. Now usually with to. Cf. to open up at Phrasal verbs.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > make more intelligent [verb (transitive)]
opena1350
smart1926
the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > capacity for emotion > sensitiveness or tenderness > make (more) sensitive or tender [verb (transitive)]
opena1350
softenc1429
thaw1582
entender1591
undull1654
unsteel1748
to open up1963
a1350 in K. Böddeker Altengl. Dichtungen (1878) 201 (MED) Iesu, my saule drah þe to, min heorte opene & wyde vndo.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xvi. 14 Lidda..whos herte the Lord openyde.
a1500 Wisdom of Solomon (Cambr. Kk.1.5) in R. Girvan Ratis Raving & Other Early Scots Poems (1939) 191 The wordis of wisdome quyknys gud mennis wyttis, and opnis thaim to consaue vysdome.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xxiv. f. cxviijv Then openned he their wyttes, that they myght vnderstond the scriptures.
1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning i. sig. H4 Not onely opening our vnderstanding..but chiefly opening our beleefe. View more context for this quotation
1713 G. Berkeley in Guardian 25 Apr. 2/1 His Understanding wants to be opened and enlarged.
1881 A. Trollope Ayala's Angel I. iii. 39 She had become aware at first that Lucy had been rough to her, and she did not easily open herself to Lucy's endearments.
1927 A. C. Parker Indian How Bk. v. li. 229 Chanting his songs of invocation to the unseen powers about him, he opened his heart to their whisperings.
1978 T. O'Brien Going after Cacciato xxxix. 265 He gazed at the girl..opening himself to whatever she might answer with.
b. intransitive. To expand in intellect or sympathy; to become responsive or sympathetic; = to open up at Phrasal verbs. Usually with to.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > capacity for emotion > sensitiveness or tenderness > become (more) sensitive or tender [verb (intransitive)]
tender1390
soften1565
thaw1598
open1713
to open up1968
the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > capacity for emotion > fellow feeling > fellow-feel [verb (intransitive)] > expand in sympathy
open1713
1713 H. Felton Diss. Reading Classics 52 To repeat his Grammar over two or three Years before his Understanding opens enough to let him into the Reason..of the Rules.
1792 R. Bage Man as he Is III. lxvii. 133 It will be long—long—before my heart opens again to tenderness.
1826 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey I. ii. ii. 102 You cannot speak too boldly. My mind opens to you.
1902 R. D. D. Rainy Anc. Catholic Church xxviii. 467 Grace as..a disposition in which the heart opens to all that is truly good.
1944 M. F. Moloney John Donne v. 131 Man's heart opens to the witchery of lovely womanhood.
1997 J. Ramsay Alchemy ii. 45 We may be able to open to a deeper realization, which is that alchemy is not only a process we seek out, but also one which seeks out us.
15.
a. transitive. To make accessible or available to all or to (also for) a specified category of person. Cf. to open up at Phrasal verbs.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > use or make use of [verb (transitive)] > make available for use
openc1390
tap1575
c1390 G. Chaucer Melibeus 2811 The goodes..of thyn hous sholde nat been hid ne kept so cloos but that they myghte been opned by pitee.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 26118 Þe prophet sais, Opins to your lauerd your hert.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 246 Alswele is the lawe opnyt for hir, gif ony wald sett crime on hir.
1557 in Cal. State Papers Scotl. (1898) I. 197 We have..in contemplatioun of youre requeist, oppynnit justice unto him.
1599 Abp. G. Abbot Briefe Descr. Worlde sig. D8v The Englishmen..did adventure farre for to open the North partes of America.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII iii. ii. 185 My hand ha's open'd Bounty to you. View more context for this quotation
1640 W. Vaughan Church Militant 1 God opened unto Man The hopefull meanes, whereby he might deface The Sting of Sinne.
1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. i. iii. 22 By means of water-carriage a more extensive market is opened . View more context for this quotation
1816 H. M. Brackenridge Jrnl. Voy. Missouri (ed. 2) 28 We stopped..at the cabin of an old Frenchman, who is beginning to open a plantation, according to the phraseology of the western country.
1863 Good Words Mar. 199 We are to understand that a communication is to be opened between two places.
1906 Indian Laws & Treaties III. 615 A nontransferable certificate..will entitle him [sc. the applicant for land] to go upon and examine the lands to be opened hereunder.
1989 Economist 25 Mar. 13/2 Governments continue to believe that if one country opens its markets while others do not, the free trader has been duped.
b. intransitive. To become available; (Law, of a succession) to become available, to pass by legal right to.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > become open [verb (intransitive)] > of immaterial things
open1807
1807 W. Scott Lett. (1932) I. 368 My income being sufficient for my extremes till the revenue of my office should open & give me a prospect of saving.
1841 H. J. Stephen New Comm. Laws Eng. I. 359 The heir to an estate..when the succession to it opens or becomes vacant upon the death of the proprietor.
1896 Dict. National Biogr. XLVII. 385/2 On the death of the latter without issue..the succession opened to his Uncle William.
1986 Times 18 Apr. 34/3 The succession has opened to a member of the junior stirps.
16. intransitive. Hunting. Of a hound: to bay or cry loudly when on a scent or in sight of the quarry. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or exclamation > cry or exclaim [verb (intransitive)]
remeeOE
ropeOE
gredec1000
epec1175
yeiec1175
ascry1352
to cry out1382
to lift (up) a cry, one's voice1382
cryc1384
outcryc1390
yawlc1400
openc1425
bursta1450
yelp?c1450
escry1483
assurd1523
to break forth1526
gaure1530
to call out?1532
exclaim1570
reclaim1611
voice1627
blathe1640
to set up one's pipes1671
bawze1677
sing1813
Great-Scott1902
yip1907
the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > dogs used for specific purposes > [verb (intransitive)] > begin to cry when in pursuit on a scent
openc1425
the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > hound > [verb (intransitive)] > make sound
openc1425
cry1486
yearn1523
chant1573
babble1575
to lead chawle1589
to spend the mouth1590
spend1602
to give tongue1737
to throw (its) tongue1742
speak1826
tongue1832
to give mouth1854
c1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Vesp. B.xii) (1904) 59 Houndis þer be þe which..shall not opne neiþer questey while þat he [sc. a hart] is among þe chaunge for drede to envoise and do amys.
a1456 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (BL Add.) (1904) 59 (MED) He openethe alway thorowe all the chaunges.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie O 115 To vent or open as an hounde or spaniel doth when he hath the scent of any thing.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) iv. ii. 184 If I cry out thus vpon no traile, neuer trust me when I open againe.
1657 G. Thornley tr. Longus Daphnis & Chloe 68 The deep-mouth'd dogs open'd loud.
1743 E. Young Complaint: Night the Fifth 55 O what a pretious Pack of Votaries Unkennell'd from the Prisons..Pour in, all opening in their Idol's Praise!
1789 G. White Jrnl. 21 Dec. (1970) xx. 301 The dogs..when they ran hard opened..but seldom.
1869 A. Trollope Phineas Finn I. xxiv. 198 As he spoke an old hound opened true and sharp.
1903 A. Conan Doyle Adventures Gerard iii. 100 The dogs opened in front of me... I could hear the huntsman shouting his congratulations.
1997 Hunting Feb. 14/3 Soon the hounds opened with a great cry on his line.
17.
a. transitive. Originally Scottish. To set in action, initiate (a proceeding or enterprise); to cause to begin or commence; spec. †to declare (war) (obsolete); to set up (a loan); to create (a file of correspondence) on a subject or person.to open an account: see account n. 2a(a). to open the ball: see ball n.3 2a. to open fire: see fire n. 10b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > initiating or causing to begin > initiate [verb (transitive)]
beginc1175
baptizec1384
to set a (on) broachc1440
open1471
to set abroachc1475
entame1477
to set afloat1559
initiate1604
first1607
principiate1613
to set afoot or on foot1615
unclap1621
inchoatea1631
flush1633
to set on1638
principatec1650
rudiment1654
auspicate1660
embryonate1666
to strike up1711
start1723
institutea1797
float1833
spark1912
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin or enter upon (an action) [verb (transitive)] > begin or open (an action or proceeding)
set?c1450
open1471
forward1598
initiate1604
to put in a way1624
to lead off1817
1471 Acts Parl. Scotl. (1814) II. 101/1 All materis..that ar now opynit in this present parliament & unendit.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 218 Ffor sen were js opnyt betuene realmes.
1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique ii. f. 58v After the preface and first Enteraunce, the matter must bee opened.
c1600 W. Fowler tr. N. Machiavelli Prince in Wks. (1936) II. 147 And another desist to oppen and invent some tred and traffique for suspicion of imposts..that may be exacted for him.
1693 tr. J. Le Clerc Mem. Count Teckely i. 37 And prepared themselves to open the Campagn in good time.
1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 267. ¶2 He..opens his Poem with the Discord of his Princes.
1735 J. Bertin Noble Game of Chess p. v Never play your Queen, till your game is tolerably well opened.
1780 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting (ed. 2) IV. iv. 76 The pictures were..exhibited to the public, and the subscription opened.
1787 T. Jefferson Writings (1859) II. 316 They are about to open a loan of one hundred millions.
1827 O. W. Roberts Narr. Voy. Central Amer. 54 To open a trade with the Indians in the interior.
1839 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece VI. 15 Ptœodorus..had opened a correspondence with him.
1881 H. James Portrait of Lady II. xv. 180 Now that he had opened the discussion he wished to discharge his mind.
1908 E. F. Benson Climber 58 It had struck him..as a good omen that he should open acquaintance with them so pleasantly.
1965 Listener 24 June 943/2 At the end of the second week I closed the file I had opened on the case of the widow Asha.
1992 Holiday Which? Sept. 187/1 Open a file and keep a copy of the letter with all subsequent correspondence.
b. intransitive. To begin, start; to commence operations. Also (spec. of a literary production, etc.) with with.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin action or activity [verb (intransitive)]
beginc1000
onginOE
aginOE
ginc1175
to go tillc1175
to take onc1175
comsea1225
fanga1225
to go toc1275
i-ginc1275
commencec1320
to get (also get down, go, go adown, set, set down) to workc1400
to lay to one's hand(sc1405
to put to one's hand (also hands)c1410
to set toc1425
standa1450
to make to1563
to fall to it1570
to start out1574
to fall to1577
to run upon ——1581
to break off1591
start1607
to set in1608
to set to one's hands1611
to put toa1616
to fall ona1625
in1633
to fall aboard1642
auspicatea1670
to set out1693
to enter (into) the fray1698
open1708
to start in1737
inchoate1767
to set off1774
go1780
start1785
to on with1843
to kick off1857
to start in on1859
to steam up1860
to push off1909
to cut loose1923
to get (also put) the show on the road1941
to get one's arse in gear1948
1708 W. King Art of Cookery 41 The Play opens with a Scene of good Huswifry, where Favourite the House-keeper makes this Complaint to the Lady Bonona.
1716 J. Addison Free-holder No. 22. ⁋2 Our Conversation opened, as usual, upon the Weather.
1747 H. Walpole Corr. 24 Nov. O.S. (1955) XIX. 450 [E. Wortley-Montagu] is come into Parliament, but has not opened.
1764 S. Foote Lyar i. i. 8 Y. Wild. Where do we open?.. Pap. Let us see—one o'clock—..the Mall will be crowded.
1803 Marquess Wellesley Let. 25 Sept. in Select. Despatches (1877) 366 The batteries of the British army opened against the fort.
1828 Times 12 Apr. 2/6 Consols opened at 835/ 8, and closed at 841/ 8.
1839 T. De Quincey 2nd Paper on Murder in Blackwood's Mag. Nov. 666/1 In spite of all I could do or say, the orchestra opened.
1876 G. O. Trevelyan Life & Lett. Macaulay II. xv. 469 When the year 1859 opened.
1915 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Island vi. 58 After the football season opens I won't have any spare Saturday afternoons.
1957 L. Durrell Justine iii. 215 I am about to say something when the first chapter of guns opens from the south—like the distant click of cricket-balls.
1978 J. Bacque Big Lonely (new ed.) iii. 40 When does school open again?
1991 Univ. Maryland Graduate School Catal. 1991–3 110/1 This course opens with an introduction to the taxonomy and fundamentals of mycology.
2001 C. Coker Humane Warfare i. 9 The era which opened with the French Revolution and ended in Napoleon's defeat saw a return to total war.
c. transitive. To begin (an event) formally or officially.
ΚΠ
1731 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 538/2 The Duke gave a Ball, which..his Highness open'd with the Princess Mary.
1768 H. Brooke Fool of Quality III. xvi. 185 The Festival was opened by the Sound of Trumpets and Horns.
1840 Penny Cycl. XVII. 274/2 It is the practice for the lord chancellor, with other peers appointed by commission..to open the parliament.
1909 Daily Chron. 16 Feb. 4/6 As the ‘Cambridge Chimes’ at St. Stephen's strike 2 p.m. the king will arrive to open parliament.
1936 Radio Times 30 Oct. 5/3 The BBC Television Service from Alexandra Palace will be opened by the Postmaster-General on Monday.
1957 R. Graves tr. Suetonius Twelve Caesars ii. 76 He opened the Games celebrating the dedication of Marcellus's Theatre.
1994 Walkerton (Ont.) Herald Times 29 June a11/1 President Toos Kingma welcomed everyone and opened the meeting with the W.I. motto, ‘For God and Country’.
d. intransitive. Of an actor: to begin a season, tour, or run; to make a debut; (of a play, film, etc.) to be performed or shown for the first time, to be premiered.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > [verb (intransitive)] > begin season or tour
to come on1737
open1828
1828 Lights & Shades Eng. Life I. 245 W. Settle opened in ‘Liberty Hall’.
1836 C. Dickens Let. ?4 Sept. (1965) I. 173 Harley..is..delighted with the farce... They want to open, if they possibly can, tomorrow fortnight.
1880 Daily News 1 Mar. 3/3 I open in this piece, providing myself the company, and superintending the rehearsals.
1972 Time 17 Apr. 28/1 Joey and Sina, whose young daughter opened in the Broadway play Voices last week, soon became a part of the theater~going, nightclubbing celebrity set.
1990 Film Monthly Apr. 7/1 Their Christopher Columbus epic..will open all round the world on October 12, 1992—to celebrate the 500th birthday of the discovery of America.
e. transitive. to open a parenthesis [after French ouvrir la parenthèse, ouvrir une parenthèse (1762 or earlier)] (parenthesis n. 1a): to initiate a digression in speech or writing. Also in extended use (cf. parenthesis n. 3).
ΚΠ
1864 A. Baillot tr. V. Hugo William Shakespeare iv. 88 Let us open a parenthesis [Fr. Ouvrons une parenthèse]: there is no chance in the creation of ‘Orestes’ or of ‘Paradise Lost’.
1880 19th Cent. June 995 I have opened a parenthesis in my work just now, and am studying German history of the sixteenth century.
1898 Current Lit. June 532/1 Before developing this theme, allow me to open a parenthesis to state that [etc.].
1905 Armenia Sept. 13 I may open a parenthesis here and devote a few lines to a society of holy men, the Sheiks, [etc.].
1922 E. A Boyd tr. P. Gsell Opinions Anatole France 51 At this point France opened a parenthesis. I suppose you all know that ribald story. You have read it in the third book of Pantagruel.
1992 G. Honigsblum et al. tr. M. Detienne in tr. Greek & Egyptian Mythol. 155/2 In the life of the initiate, the journey to Eleusis opened a parenthesis and marked a break.
2012 A. Larivée in C. Collobert et al. Plato & Myth xii. 244 I open a parenthesis here to emphasize that this phase of transformation contrasts with the experience [etc.].
f. transitive. With direct speech as object: to begin by saying.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > speak [verb (intransitive)] > begin to speak
upbreakc1275
to set spell on enda1300
gina1333
to take up (one's) parablea1382
braidc1400
to take up the word1477
begin1563
exordiate1594
to speak upa1723
to lug out1787
to speak out1792
upspeak1827
exordize1887
shoot1915
open1926
to come in1949
1926 A. Bennett Ld. Raingo i. xiii. 63 ‘I quite agree with you, Clews,’ Sam opened immediately.
1976 B. Freemantle November Man iv. 47 ‘Jocelyn is still the big tycoon,’ he opened predictably.
g. transitive. To write or type the punctuation mark that typically forms the first of a pair of (brackets, parentheses, quotation marks, etc.). Frequently in imperative. Hence forming noun compounds denoting such a punctuation mark, as open bracket, open parenthesis, open quote. Cf. close v. Additions.
ΚΠ
1928 A. H. Highton Pract. Proofreading vi. 46 Accuracy of agreement with copy is insured when every punctuation-mark and capital is included with the recital of words. The following is an example... I spelled it out com and then he said com open quote cap why com single quote [etc.].
1936 Punch 16 Dec. 685/1 ‘What did I say last, Miss Pin?’ ‘You said “It was a beautiful old face full stop open quotes.”’ ‘Ah. Don't open quotes, Miss Pin. On no account open quotes.’
1948 R. M. Gay & M. E. Skillin Words into Type 276 A comma may precede an open parenthesis only if the word or words in parenthesis clearly limit a following word.
1965 MLN 80 (Spanish Issue) 283 Vs. 9562, read quanc'ai;..vs. 9677, add oi to the variants of T (cf. n.); vs. 10253, open quotes.
1965 Math. of Computation 19 358 The usual run of typographical errors—..three open brackets,..where by implication there should be seven,..and so on.
1982 J. A. Burrow Medieval Writers & their Work ii. 48 The conventions of the printed page require editors to open inverted commas somewhere in the last three lines.
1983 InfoWorld (Nexis) 11 July 76 The other single quote, which would be used as an open quote (‘) on the systems where it prints differently than the apostrophe.
1987 R. Curtis & B. Elton Blackadder the Third in R. Curtis et al. Blackadder: Whole Damn Dynasty (1998) 327/2 Open brackets, this is not a joke, I do not find my name remotely funny and people who do end up dead, close brackets.
1991 B. Elton Gridlock (2006) 23 In desperation he opened a bracket. Impulsively he wrote, ‘Just joking, really, it's been great working with you’... Geoffrey closed the bracket.
2003 Scotsman (Nexis) 30 May 7 What did she say? I can do no better than open the quotation marks and let the lassie holler.
18. Law.
a. transitive. To state or bring forward (an argument, assertion, etc.) in presenting a case. Also (transitive and intransitive): to begin the exposition of or summarize (a case) to a court or judge at the start of proceedings, prior to submitting evidence or giving argument.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > pleading > maintain by argument in court [verb (transitive)] > open (a case)
open1593
1593 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia v. f. 236 Who could have thought any mouth could haue bene founde so mercenary, as to haue opened so slight proofes of so horrible matters?
1603 T. Dekker 1603: Wonderfull Yeare 45 The case was opened to his [sc. the Justice's] examining wisedome.
1621 H. Elsynge Notes Deb. House of Lords (1870) App. 134 Mr. Atturney Generall opened divers poyntes to their Lordships touching these abuses.
1631 in S. R. Gardiner Rep. Cases Star Chamber & High Comm. (1886) 6 The Complainants Counsell having made their charge, and opened all their proofes.
1655 J. Howell 4th Vol. Familiar Lett. viii. 24 She may make Her self your Client, and so employ you to open her Case, and recover her Portion.
1704 Boston News-let. 19 June 1/2 The Queen's Attorney opened the case, and the court proceeded to the Examination of the Evidences for Her Majesty.
a1777 S. Foote Trip to Calais (1778) iii. 78 As you gave me a handsome retainer, I have been in court and open'd the cause.
1874 A. Trollope Lady Anna II. xxviii. 36 It became the duty of the Solicitor-General to open the pleadings.
1891 Daily News 8 Dec. 7/5 Sir H. D. was opening the case for the respondents when the Court rose.
1906 Harper's Mag. Nov. 837/1 On the 9th of April, the prosecution having rested, Judge Curtis opened for the defence.
1957 W. H. Morris-Jones Parl. in India v. 251 The Attorney General opened the case and attended many of the meetings.
1997 Times 9 Jan. 19/1 Comyn opened for the plaintiff with what the judge in the case described as the most shattering remark he had ever heard in court.
b. transitive. To undo, recall, or set aside (a judgment, sale, etc.), so as to allow for further action or negotiation.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > memory > effacement, obliteration > cancellation, revocation > annul, cancel, revoke [verb (transitive)] > set aside
to strike off1597
to set by1603
open1792
1792 in F. Vesey Chancery Rep. (1801) I. 453 The Court gives its assistance to open biddings, for the benefit of the suitor and the estate, not of the purchaser.
1848 J. Arnould Law Marine Insurance I. i. xi. 304 The policy was to be opened; by which those writers understood that the agreed valuation was to be set aside as the standard and basis of the underwriter's liability.
1878 Law Rep.: Chancery Div. 7 175 The mortgagor is entitled to open the foreclosure on the usual terms.
1959 Earl Jowitt & C. Walsh Dict. Eng. Law II. 1270/1 As the aim of the court [of equity] was to obtain as great a price as possible for the estate, it would open the biddings after the estate was sold, and put up the estate for sale again.
19. Cards.
a. transitive. To play a card of (a particular suit) as the first card in a trick or a round of play; to bid (a particular card or suit) as the first bid of the auction.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > bridge > [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics > bid > open bidding
open1851
1851 ‘Cœlebs’ Laws & Pract. Whist i. 37 By opening a counter-suit, you afford a clue to partner, whereby he may may direct his future leads.
1885 K. A. Linderfelt Game of Preference 30 If you have the lead, open your strongest suit.
1908 W. Dalton Auction Bridge ix. 121 It is ‘generally’ advisable to open your partner's suit in preference to your own.
1964 N. Squire Bidding at Bridge ii. 21 You should open One Diamond, as your hand is unsuitable for you to be declarer in no-trumps.
2001 Times 4 May ii. 26/2 How about if responder has a choice between supporting partner (with four or more cards in the suit opened) and bidding a suit of his own?
b. transitive. Poker. To initiate betting on (the pool). to open the pot: to initiate betting after having put up a stake.
ΚΠ
1875 H. T. Winterblossom Game of Draw-poker iv. 48 A chip is put in the pool by each player until some one..announces that he will ‘open’ it.
1880 W. B. Dick Amer. Hoyle 202 The blind now deals, and any player in his regular turn may open or break the pot, provided he holds a pair of Jacks or better.
1922 T. A. McNeal When Kansas was Young 187 Three deals were made before either could open the pot.
1949 Sunday World-Herald Mag. (Omaha) 24 Apr. 2/1 The old man (Clarence) opened the pot with a dime.
1999 Chicago Daily Herald (Nexis) 24 Sept. (Time Out section) 15 When Grandam opens the pot, she's telling you proof positive that she has a pair of Jacks or better.
c. intransitive. To make the first bid or bet; to lead with a particular card or hand.
ΚΠ
1875 H. T. Winterblossom Game of Draw-poker iv. 50 If you have the necessary hand you can open, or not, as you think proper.
1894 R. F. Green Solo Whist iv. 14 Open, to open is to lead the first card in a game.
1901 ‘Hellespont’ Laws & Princ. Bridge 151 It is no good your opening with a little one, as he will not have a card of your suit to return to you.
1920 R. F. Foster Foster on Auction (ed. 2) ii. 271 When A opened with a small spade, Z won with the queen.
1935 Encycl. Sports, Games & Pastimes 466/2 If no player opens there is a fresh deal, each player once more contributing to the pot, and so on until the pot is opened.
1990 D. Parlett Oxf. Guide Card Games ix. 114 It remains a standard feature of American Draw [Poker] that players may not open without Jacks or better (but are no longer obliged to open if they can).
20. intransitive. To perform before the main act or event at a concert, show, etc. Chiefly with for.
ΚΠ
1975 N.Y. Times 30 May 14/2 Lewis Furey, who is opening for Manhattan Transfer at the Bottom Line through this weekend, is clearly not going to please everybody.
1976 ZigZag June 12/2 In the beginning, when I was an opening act, I opened for people like Fred McDowell, Arthur Crudup, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells.
1989 C. S. Murray Crosstown Traffic ii. 45 For the princely sum of £25, the [Jimi Hendrix] Experience opened for Eric Burdon's New Animals at a Croydon club.
1995 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Dec. 127/2 We were signed up by William Morris, and opening for Lenny Bruce at the Cafe Au Go Go.
2002 Time Out N.Y. 29 Aug. 150/2 What you likely don't know is that a member of TONY's music staff once played in a band that opened for the legendary black-hooded thug-rockers.
21. transitive. Chiefly U.S. Of an actor: to be an attraction for the opening night of (a new film). Hence: to ensure the success of (a new film).
ΚΠ
1985 Wall St. Jrnl. (Electronic ed.) 16 Apr. Redford and Streisand are stars that can open a movie.
1994 N.Y. Times 18 Dec. h36/2 Somehow only men have come to be perceived as capable of ‘opening a picture’.
1996 Sun-Herald (Brisbane) 5 May 62/2 Moore is..one of the few Hollywood actresses who can ‘open’ a movie.
2002 GQ Mar. 282/2 What is he worth in these different markets? Can he open a movie?
Phrasal verbs
With adverbs in specialized senses. to open out † 7. transitive. To remove from a case, etc., and make accessible or visible; to make accessible or visible by removing something which covers, conceals, or obstructs. Obsolete. to open up
1. transitive. = sense 4a; to spread out. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > extend [verb (transitive)] > spread (something) out or open
abredeeOE
bredeOE
stretcha1000
to-spreada1000
openOE
spreadc1175
displayc1320
to let outc1380
to open outc1384
outspreada1400
spald?a1400
splayc1402
expand?a1475
to lay along1483
speld?a1500
skail1513
to set abroad1526
to lay abroad1530
flarec1550
bespread1557
to set out1573
dispread1590
explaina1600
expanse1600
dispack1605
splat1615
dispand1656
extend1676
flat1709
spelder1710
spreadeagle1829
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Ecclus. (Douce 369(2)) xxxi. 12 Aboue the grete bord thou hast siten? ne opene thou out thi cheeke rathere.
a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry IV ccclxix, in Poems (1878) IV. 93 Now may the factions..open out The Seame, wch fate, by Iron Time had prest Smooth.
1731 I. Thomson Coll. of Poems ii. 113 Freedom kindly opens out the Soul.
1822 A. T. de Vere Julian Apostate 99 We would open out the book Of time, and point the lessons of the past.
1832 J. P. Kennedy Swallow Barn II. xix. 234 She began to open out the ragged handkerchief which, until now, she had held in her clenched hand.
1987 R. Mistry Ghost of Firozsha Baag in Tales from Firozsha Baag 52 When my big brother's pants would not fit, she would open out the waist.
1993 Collins Compl. DIY Man. (new ed.) viii. 365/2 Slightly overbend the tube and open it out to the correct angle to release the spring.
2. transitive. To make known to the mental or spiritual view; to reveal, disclose; = sense 12a.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > [verb (transitive)]
uppec897
atewOE
sutelec1000
openOE
awnc1175
kithec1175
forthteec1200
tawnec1220
let witc1275
forthshowa1300
to pilt out?a1300
showa1300
barea1325
mythc1330
unfoldc1374
to open outc1390
assign1398
mustera1400
reyve?a1400
vouchc1400
manifest?a1425
outshowc1425
ostendc1429
explayc1443
objecta1500
reveala1500
patefy?1509
decipher1529
relieve1533
to set outa1540
utter1542
report1548
unbuckle1548
to set forth1551
demonstrate1553
to hold forth1560
testify1560
explicate1565
forthsetc1565
to give show of1567
denudec1572
exhibit1573
apparent1577
display?1578
carry1580
cipher1583
laya1586
foreshow1590
uncloud?1594
vision1594
explain1597
proclaim1597
unroll1598
discloud1600
remonstrate1601
resent1602
to bring out1608
palesate1613
pronounce1615
to speak out1623
elicit1641
confess1646
bear1657
breathe1667
outplay1702
to throw out1741
evolve1744
announce1781
develop1806
exfoliate1808
evince1829
exposit1882
pack1925
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or reveal [verb (transitive)]
unwryc825
unhelec1000
to draw forthc1175
unhillc1200
to bring forth?c1225
unsteekc1250
let witc1275
uncovera1300
wraya1300
knowc1300
barea1325
shrivec1374
unwrapc1374
again-covera1382
nakena1382
outc1390
tellc1390
disclosea1393
cough1393
unhidea1400
unclosec1400
unhaspc1400
bewrayc1405
reveal1409
accusea1413
reveil1424
unlocka1425
unrekec1425
disclude?1440
uncurec1440
utter1444
detect1447
break1463
expose1483
divinec1500
revelate1514
to bring (also put) to light1526
decipher1529
rake1547
rip1549
unshadow1550
to lay to sight1563
uppen1565
unlace1567
unvisor?1571
resign1572
uncloak1574
disshroud1577
spill1577
reap1578
unrip1579
scour1585
unharboura1586
unmask1586
uncase1587
descrya1591
unclasp?1592
unrive1592
discover1594
unburden1594
untomb1594
unhusk1596
dismask1598
to open upc1600
untruss1600
divulge1602
unshale1606
unbrace1607
unveil1609
rave1610
disveil1611
unface1611
unsecret1612
unvizard1620
to open up1624
uncurtain1628
unscreen1628
unbare1630
disenvelop1632
unclothe1632
to lay forth1633
unshroud1633
unmuffle1637
midwife1638
dissecret1640
unseal1640
unmantle1643
to fetch out1644
undisguise1655
disvelop1658
decorticate1660
clash1667
exert1692
disinter1711
to up with1715
unbundlea1739
develop1741
disembosom1745
to open out1814
to let out1833
unsack1846
uncrown1849
to bring (out) in (also into) the open1861
unfrock1866
disbosom1868
to blow the lid off1928
flush1950
surface1955
to take or pull the wraps off1964
c1390 in C. Horstmann Minor Poems Vernon MS (1892) i. 276 Þe feorþe is clept Arrogaunce, Þat schewes oþur mennes mischaunce And openeþ al out heore wikkednes.
1563 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1888) I. 62 To oppin out and mak manifest the hypocrisie of the fule.
a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry IV cc, in Poems (1878) IV. 51 T'were ill advis'd To open out the Chaine of our Intent.
1814 S. T. Coleridge Let. to D. Stuart in Lett. (1895) 631 Having for the very first time..opened out my whole feelings and thoughts concerning my past fates and fortunes.
a1834 S. T. Coleridge Lit. Remains (1836) II. 96 The perfect probability of the moment chosen by Prospero..to open out the truth to his daughter.
1902 W. James Varieties Relig. Experience xvii They [sc. mystical states] open out the possibility of other orders of truth.
1992 E. Acton Rethinking Russ. Revol. (BNC) The limited opportunities for organization and public debate opened out by the great reforms.
3. intransitive. = sense 4b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > become open [verb (intransitive)] > open by moving apart
opena1398
gape1577
to open out1731
sever1797
1731 I. Thomson Coll. of Poems i. 10 Rises the Grass, and open out the Flowers.
1865 ‘L. Carroll’ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ii. 15 Now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that ever was!
1882 R. L. Stevenson New Arabian Nights II. 146 It [sc. the lane] began to open out and go sharply downward.
1934 V. Rendall Wild Flowers in Lit. 67 The flower was called Helianthemum, ‘sun-flower’ in Greek, because the blossoms open out in sunshine.
1962 S. Wynter Hills of Hebron vi. 81 When you broke open the star-apple fruit the white flesh..opened out in your hand like a bruise.
1997 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 9 Feb. 18 The thick blue plastic bag opens out to form an open box.
4. transitive. To develop or make accessible for use, passage, settlement, etc.; = to open up at Phrasal verbs.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > open by freeing of obstruction > open the way for something
to make waya1200
to give gate toc1330
to open a door to or for1670
to open out1789
1789 J. Brand Hist. & Antiq. Newcastle I. 15 Convenient foot-passages have lately been opened out on each side of this gate.
1882 H. de Windt On Equator 99 Coal is found..here, and Government has opened out a small mine for the use of its vessels.
1891 Dict. National Biogr. XXVI. 280/1 He opened out wild and uncivilised districts by roads constructed at his own expense.
1897 Daily News 3 Nov. 9/5 As soon as the 200 feet level is reached, the intention is to open out and cut plats on both sides of the shaft.
1958 H. G. Sanders Outl. Brit. Crop Husbandry (ed. 3) 270 A field is opened out for a binder, that is, a swathe cut all round the outside of the crop to make a clear pathway for the machine.
1998 Statesman (India) (Nexis) 16 Apr. (News section) Countries that have not opened out their markets to US goods and services.
5. † a. transitive. = sense 9a. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being scattered or dispersed > scatter [verb (transitive)] > space out > so as not to be crowded together
opena1450
to open out1796
1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry §61 157 They go off.., moving parallel..to the line of formation; the three's close and compact, so as not to open the divisions out.
b. intransitive. To become less compact or dense, or more spacious; to thin out; (spec. of a military formation) = sense 9b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > extend in space [verb (intransitive)] > be spread out
outspreada1425
expand1575
flare1579
to fan out1592
dispread1596
deploy1796
to open out1818
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being scattered or dispersed > scatter or be dispersed [verb (intransitive)] > be scattered at intervals > space out or not crowd together
open1675
to open out1818
1818 H. J. Todd Johnson's Dict. Eng. Lang. A column of troops is deployed, when the divisions spread wide, or open out.
1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 30 A Battalion in Close column should first open out to quarter-distance.
1867 L. Stephen in Alpine Jrnl. 3 35 I was glad when the trees began to open out..and we came upon the..meadow.
1905 C. Goff Florence & Some Tuscan Cities xvii. 251 The crowd opens out to make passage for the yoke of magnificent white oxen.
1945 Diamond Track (Army Board, N.Z.) 33/1 The pursuit force opened out into desert formation.
1954 E. Taylor Hester Lilly 37 Then the pink light thinned, the trees opened out and blueness broke through, and in this new light was a view.
2000 Times (Nexis) 11 Nov. When the forest opened out, the procession came to a halt.
6. intransitive. = sense 6b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > visibility > be visible [verb (intransitive)] > appear or become visible
ariseOE
to come in (also to, on, etc.) placec1225
'peara1382
appear1382
kithea1400
to show out?a1425
muster?1435
to come forthc1449
to look outa1470
apparish1483
to show forth1487
come1531
to come out?1548
peer1568
to look through1573
glimpse1596
loom1605
rise1615
emicate1657
emike1657
present1664
opena1691
emerge1700
dawn1744
to come down the pike1812
to open out1813
to crop out1849
unmask1858
to come through1868
to show up1879
to come (etc.) out of thin air1932
surface1961
1813 S. T. Coleridge Night-scene in Poems 421 Green vales open out, with grove and field.
1878 A. K. Johnston Africa ii. 22 From the summit..there opens out one of the greatest panoramas which the eye of man could behold.
1911 W. H. Koebel In Maoriland Bush xviii. 241 Half an hour later the street of the township opens out before the rider.
1933 H. Allen Anthony Adverse II. vi. xxxvii. 550 The forest opened out suddenely and a vista of rice fields..swept up to a large palisaded place.
1997 T. Mackintosh-Smith Yemen (1999) viii. 234 On the far side of the col a valley opened out.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > uncovering > uncover or remove covering from [verb (transitive)] > uncover and expose
unwryc825
bareOE
unhelec1000
uncoverc1390
disclosea1393
to lay outa1400
unhidea1400
declose14..
unbare1530
discover1563
imbear1657
fleece1667
unfence1715
to lay bare1807
to open out1832
strip1839
expose1851
1832 J. P. Kennedy Rob of Bowl xvi. 234 The man of nostrums was..employed in opening out his commodities.
1861 A. H. Clough Let. 28 Apr. in Poems & Prose Remains (1869) I. 248 In one spot some lesser ruins have been opened out.
1883 J. W. Sherer At Home & in India 112 We..had got our tin travelling cases inside, and were opening out some necessary things.
8. intransitive. To declare one's thoughts or feelings, to unburden oneself. Cf. senses 12d.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or make revelations [verb (intransitive)] > reveal one's true character > one's thoughts or feelings
to open one's hearta1250
to break one's mind (heart)a1450
to show one's mind1492
to fish out the bottom of a person's stomach1537
to utter (the bottom of) one's stomach1537
to show one's true colours?1551
to come out1836
to open out1855
to come (out) in (also into) the open1861
disembosom1884
unbutton1956
to go public1957
1855 D. Costello Stories from Screen 89 She now opened out a little, and told me [etc.].
1887 G. H. Devol Forty Years Gambler on Mississippi 145 Brown lost no time in making their acquaintance and opening out.
1911 Commonwealth Sept. 277 He could only open out to a few.
1997 A. Sivanandan When Memory Dies iii. x. 319 The driver was chatty and opened out to Vijay.
9. intransitive. Cricket. To go on the attack, play an attacking stroke.
ΚΠ
1883 Daily Tel. 15 May 2/7 U—then opened out, and..drove the captain..for 3.
1969 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (ed. 106) 561 Somerset batted slowly on Sunday, but opened out on Monday, Virgin leading the way.
10. intransitive. = to open up at Phrasal verbs. rare.
ΚΠ
1903 Lett. that bring Business 38 You have recently opened out in the Fancy China and Glass trade.
11. transitive and intransitive = to open up at Phrasal verbs, to open up 1f at Phrasal verbs.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (intransitive)] > drive or operate a motor vehicle > accelerate or decelerate
accelerate1902
to open up1903
to open out1906
to step on the gas1916
to step on it (her)1923
to turn the wick up (or down)1948
to hit the floorboard1971
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (transitive)] > drive a motor vehicle > accelerate
to open out1906
gun1930
floorboard1942
to open up1970
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > means of propulsion > [verb (transitive)] > open throttle (of engine), accelerate
to open up1903
to open out1906
1906 Punch 19 Sept. 200/1 ‘Open her out!’ my host had said; And on the instant word The mobile monster flew ahead Like a prodigious bird.
1918 A. Quiller-Couch Foe-Farrell 105 There was a certain amount of outcry in the rear. But I opened-out down the slope and soon had it well astern.
1922 Encycl. Brit. XXX. 41/1 Such a ‘light’ engine would not withstand being opened out fully near the ground.
1969 P. A. Smith Folklore Austral. Railwaymen 51 He put her into reverse, he opened her out and they caught up with the rolling trucks.
12. transitive. Film. = to open up at Phrasal verbs.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > [verb (transitive)] > adapt into film
filmize1911
cinematize1914
script1936
adapt1952
to open up1970
to open out1981
1981 Dict. National Biogr. 1961–70 at Asquith, Anthony Most of his best films were screen adaptations of West End plays, opened out for the cinema.
1990 J. Park Brit. Cinema (BNC) However token the attempts to open the play out from its Tudor house setting with shots of sea waves, a train coming into a station and a village street, the result is still entertaining.
2000 Variety 9 Oct. 30/1 Canadian director Patricia Rozema, faced with specifically theatrical material, does her best to open out the piece by filming it in a windswept desert landscape.
1. Physical senses.
a. transitive. = sense 1a. Now literary and poetic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)]
undoc893
untinec950
openOE
to-doOE
undita1225
leesea1325
unfolda1325
unspeara1325
unclosea1350
to open upa1400
disclose?1440
opea1450
unlock?1548
uncask1594
unhinge1624
unsluice1652
reserate1657
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 18095 Open up þin yates wide, Lete in þe king.
1592 (?a1425) Chester Myst. Cycle (1974) 331 Open up hell-gates anonne, ye prynces of pyne.
1873 A. Anderson Winter Visitors 175 Come..Open up its rusted gateway.
1897 ‘F. H. Williams’ Matin Bells iii. 136 One great Conqueror's cry..opened up a door into eternity.
1917 Dial. Notes 4 412 Open up the door and let the funk out.
1956 E. Merriam Montgomery, Alabama Money, Mississippi & Other Places 20 Opening up the gates of learning.
1997 C. Eady Autobiogr. Jukebox i. 33 (title of poem) I don't want nobody to give me nothing (open up the door, I'll get it myself).
b. intransitive. = sense 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > become open [verb (intransitive)] > of a door, gate, etc. > open a door
undo1122
to open up1935
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1897–1973) 299 (MED) This stede shall stand no longer stokyn; open vp, and let my pepill pas.
1935 M. M. Atwater Murder in Midsummer xxii. 210 Why didn't you open up when I knocked?
1976 ‘H. Carmichael’ False Evid. i. 14 Someone knocked at the door... ‘Open up, Miss Crawford.’
2001 J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand iv. 23 Moore rang the bell. A man opened up.
c. transitive. To make accessible or available for use, passage, view, etc. (usually with the implication of the removal of an obstruction); spec. to make (land) available for cultivation and settlement.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or reveal [verb (transitive)]
unwryc825
unhelec1000
to draw forthc1175
unhillc1200
to bring forth?c1225
unsteekc1250
let witc1275
uncovera1300
wraya1300
knowc1300
barea1325
shrivec1374
unwrapc1374
again-covera1382
nakena1382
outc1390
tellc1390
disclosea1393
cough1393
unhidea1400
unclosec1400
unhaspc1400
bewrayc1405
reveal1409
accusea1413
reveil1424
unlocka1425
unrekec1425
disclude?1440
uncurec1440
utter1444
detect1447
break1463
expose1483
divinec1500
revelate1514
to bring (also put) to light1526
decipher1529
rake1547
rip1549
unshadow1550
to lay to sight1563
uppen1565
unlace1567
unvisor?1571
resign1572
uncloak1574
disshroud1577
spill1577
reap1578
unrip1579
scour1585
unharboura1586
unmask1586
uncase1587
descrya1591
unclasp?1592
unrive1592
discover1594
unburden1594
untomb1594
unhusk1596
dismask1598
to open upc1600
untruss1600
divulge1602
unshale1606
unbrace1607
unveil1609
rave1610
disveil1611
unface1611
unsecret1612
unvizard1620
to open up1624
uncurtain1628
unscreen1628
unbare1630
disenvelop1632
unclothe1632
to lay forth1633
unshroud1633
unmuffle1637
midwife1638
dissecret1640
unseal1640
unmantle1643
to fetch out1644
undisguise1655
disvelop1658
decorticate1660
clash1667
exert1692
disinter1711
to up with1715
unbundlea1739
develop1741
disembosom1745
to open out1814
to let out1833
unsack1846
uncrown1849
to bring (out) in (also into) the open1861
unfrock1866
disbosom1868
to blow the lid off1928
flush1950
surface1955
to take or pull the wraps off1964
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > open by freeing of obstruction
openOE
ridlOE
unstop1398
uncumberc1440
redd1488
clear1530
unchoke1588
disencumber1598
disobstruct1611
unblock1611
unchain1616
deobstruct1653
unobstruct1659
free1690
rede1693
to open up1793
c1600 Hist. & Life James VI (1825) 116 To oppin up the meynis for the mair facill attening to a gude peax.
1792 A. F. Tytler tr. F. Schiller Robbers iv. 163 This awful key will shut the prison-door of life, and open up the regions of futurity.
1793 Monthly Rev. 9 159 The place which is first opened up.
1827 T. Carlyle tr. J. W. von Goethe Wilhelm Meister's Trav. in German Romance IV. 149 By Miracles and Similitudes, a new world is opened up.
1872 W. H. Dixon W. Penn (rev. ed.) i. 3 Opening up a new and tempting branch of trade.
1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 29 Aug. 11/2 He would begin by opening up, say, twenty-five acres his first year, clearing, draining, and planting.
1895 Manch. Guardian 14 Oct. 5/6 The Isker Valley line..will open up this country for the first time.
1942 C. Bressey in London Replanned Introd. 3 New glimpses of the Thames can be opened up.
1965 Listener 20 May 734/1 Much of it was not even opened up by Europeans, still less occupied, until the time of our grandfathers.
2000 M. Sargeant Royal Crown Derby 25 Printing opened up a huge, hitherto untapped market.
d. transitive. To break up, make less compact or hard (ground, soil, etc.) by ploughing, digging, etc. In later use chiefly spec. (Australian and New Zealand): to break (the surface of the earth) preparatory to mining.
ΚΠ
1762 A. Dickson Treat. Agric. ii. xiii. 244 It is necessary to add something with respect to the ploughing lea, or opening up grass-ground.
1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. I. 385 The land may be opened up as deep as possible by the common plough.
1833 J. Smith Thorough Draining in Rep. Exhib. Agric. Productions Stirling (W. Drummond & Sons) 41 The subsoil plough..will plough a Scotch acre in nine hours..completely opening up the subsoil.
1869 Wallaroo Times (Kadina) 4 Sept. 5/2 Levels driven and the ground opened up.
1900 N.Z. Illustr. Mag. 3 208 When the swamps are dry the hooker has to open up the hardened surface with a spade.
1936 J. Kirwan My Life's Adventure 77 When opened up that mine, too, proved a duffer.
1976 P. Beaumont Middle East (1988) iv. 175 Tractors and steel ploughs..are efficient in opening up the soil.
e. transitive and intransitive. Australian and New Zealand. Sheep-shearing. To begin shearing (a fleece or sheep); to shear wool from (a particular area).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > sheep-shearing > shear sheep [verb (intransitive)] > manner or technique
to open up1886
to play the piano1933
slum1965
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > sheep-shearing > shear sheep [verb (transitive)] > manner, technique, or part
beard1429
belt?1523
feazea1642
shirl1688
dag1706
tag1707
clat1838
tomahawk1859
rough1878
to open up1886
pink1897
crutch1915
barrow1933
slum1965
1886 P. Fletcher ‘Hints to Immigrants’ in P. Fletcher Queensland 4 You..may have the chance of getting hold of a sheep which a shearer has already ‘opened up’, or begun.
1904 ‘G. B. Lancaster’ Sons o' Men 81 A big Maori was making the [shearing] pace; opening up in a scientific fashion with a clean-run cut over the ear-root.
1914 P. Fletcher Queensland 4 You..may have the chance of getting hold of a sheep which a shearer has already ‘opened up’, or begun.
1956 G. Bowen Wool Away! (ed. 2) iii. 32 Three short sharp blows are essential here to open up the neck for clean shearing.
1981 J. H. Sutherland & W. Taylor Sunrise on Hikurangi 45 He leaned well over the sheep, placed the forelegs under his left arm, and opened up the right side of the belly.
f. transitive and intransitive. To increase the speed of (an engine or vehicle) by widening the throttle.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (intransitive)] > drive or operate a motor vehicle > accelerate or decelerate
accelerate1902
to open up1903
to open out1906
to step on the gas1916
to step on it (her)1923
to turn the wick up (or down)1948
to hit the floorboard1971
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > means of propulsion > [verb (transitive)] > open throttle (of engine), accelerate
to open up1903
to open out1906
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (transitive)] > drive a motor vehicle > accelerate
to open out1906
gun1930
floorboard1942
to open up1970
1903 J. Scholz Log Winter Cruise 18 Feb. We then opened up under six boilers and headed for Mobile, Alabama, making about twelve knots an hour.
1926 T. E. Lawrence Let. 27 Sept. (1938) 500 It's my great game on a really pot-holed road to open up to 70 m.p.h. or so and feel the machine gallop.
1942 Tee Emm (Air Ministry) 2 95 On no account..should the engine be opened up during the final stages of ditching.
1970 K. Benton Sole Agent vii. 78 She's a nice car, the Chevvy. She'd do ninety if I opened her up.
1989 J. Galloway Trick is to keep Breathing (1991) 45 Sam took me back on the motorway to open her up and wind rushing towards us took my breath away.
g. intransitive. To start shooting (at or on a person or thing). Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > discharge firearms [verb (intransitive)] > start firing
to open up1909
1909 J. London Koolau the Leper in House of Pride 80 He lay in the thicket, smiling, until he remembered the war guns. Without doubt they would open up on him again.
1939 H. L. Ickes Diary 30 July in Secret Diary (1954) II. 688 Two or three days ago John L. Lewis, before the Labor Committee of the House, opened up savagely on Garner.
1974 Black Panther 16 Mar. 16/4 Frelimo guerrillas opened up on the train from both sides.
1985 T. O'Brien Nucl. Age v. 83 Open up, Kid—both barrels.
2. Non-physical senses.† a. transitive. = sense 13. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
?1591 R. Bruce Serm. Sacrament iii. (1 Cor. xi. 23) sig. M7v But zit the word wald bee opened vp, quhat wee mean bee the worde present.
a1614 J. Melville Autobiogr. & Diary (1842) 147 Ordinarlie ther, meall about, the students opened upe a chapter.
1694 Acts Gen. Assembly Church of Scotl. 10 That the ministers..shall in their exercise of lecturing read and open up to people some large and considerable portion of the Word of God.
1715 A. Pennecuik Curious Coll. Scotish Poems in Geogr., Hist. Descr. Tweeddale App. 116 O how his Lips with charming words did move, While opening up the Misteries of Love.
1824 J. Hogg Private Mem. Justified Sinner 227 I then opened up the mysteries of religion to him in a clear and perspicuous manner.
1896 C. T. Studd Let. (1933) xi. 106 I have had such a good day to-day, early up and a quiet time for most of the day and the Lord has been opening up the Word.
b. transitive. To disclose, to unburden oneself of; to bring to attention, reveal. Also: to raise for discussion (and leave unsettled).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or reveal [verb (transitive)]
unwryc825
unhelec1000
to draw forthc1175
unhillc1200
to bring forth?c1225
unsteekc1250
let witc1275
uncovera1300
wraya1300
knowc1300
barea1325
shrivec1374
unwrapc1374
again-covera1382
nakena1382
outc1390
tellc1390
disclosea1393
cough1393
unhidea1400
unclosec1400
unhaspc1400
bewrayc1405
reveal1409
accusea1413
reveil1424
unlocka1425
unrekec1425
disclude?1440
uncurec1440
utter1444
detect1447
break1463
expose1483
divinec1500
revelate1514
to bring (also put) to light1526
decipher1529
rake1547
rip1549
unshadow1550
to lay to sight1563
uppen1565
unlace1567
unvisor?1571
resign1572
uncloak1574
disshroud1577
spill1577
reap1578
unrip1579
scour1585
unharboura1586
unmask1586
uncase1587
descrya1591
unclasp?1592
unrive1592
discover1594
unburden1594
untomb1594
unhusk1596
dismask1598
to open upc1600
untruss1600
divulge1602
unshale1606
unbrace1607
unveil1609
rave1610
disveil1611
unface1611
unsecret1612
unvizard1620
to open up1624
uncurtain1628
unscreen1628
unbare1630
disenvelop1632
unclothe1632
to lay forth1633
unshroud1633
unmuffle1637
midwife1638
dissecret1640
unseal1640
unmantle1643
to fetch out1644
undisguise1655
disvelop1658
decorticate1660
clash1667
exert1692
disinter1711
to up with1715
unbundlea1739
develop1741
disembosom1745
to open out1814
to let out1833
unsack1846
uncrown1849
to bring (out) in (also into) the open1861
unfrock1866
disbosom1868
to blow the lid off1928
flush1950
surface1955
to take or pull the wraps off1964
1624 State Papers Earl of Melrose (1837) II. 644 The said Johnne sould haif gone to his pastour and oppynit vp his grief vnto him.
1740 D. Hume Treat. Human Nature III. ii. 120 I..shall here continue to open up a little more distinctly my sentiments on that subject.
1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom II. lix. 202 She, in my hearing, opened up..an amazing scene of iniquity, baseness and ingratitude.
c1829 J. Sterling Ess. & Tales (1848) I. p. xxiii I..detected two errors; one of them the phrase open up a subject, which, I suppose, is an innovation of the sectarian pulpits.
1852 W. E. Gladstone in Edinb. Rev. Apr. 392 This inquiry, however, opens up and detects the master fallacy.
1894 J. Davidson Smith i. 220 No answer, Brown, Because I want to open up a point.
1911 ‘M. Field’ Trag. Pardon v. iii. 49 For if I may not..open up my grief..a little help me!
1959 K. McNaught Prophet in Politics xii. 188 Woodsworth opened up the matter sharply when he described the implications of the bank monopoly.
1984 A. Smith Mind v. xv. 304 The brain-death issue opened up fresh areas for debate.
c. intransitive. To become accessible or available for passage, view, enterprise, etc. (usually with the implication of the removal of an obstruction).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > become open [verb (intransitive)] > become open by removal of obstructions
to open up1857
1857 D. Livingstone Missionary Trav. S. Afr. xx. 407 Avenues of wealth opening up so readily.
1920 J. B. Scott Proc. Hague Peace Conf. 225 I consider it a supreme consolation to see new prospects opening up for the good of humanity.
1934 Times 12 Dec. 19/3 The new field of nuclear chemistry was opening up with great rapidity.
1979 Rolling Stone 11 Jan. 86 When I learned I could do that by just being honest, whole vistas of trouble opened up.
2000 T. C. Fischer U.S., European Union, & ‘Globalization’ of World Trade ix. 105 The European market will open up to more foreign agricultural products.
d. intransitive. To talk; esp. to declare one's thoughts or feelings, to unburden oneself. Cf. senses 12d, to open out 8 at Phrasal verbs.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > speak [verb (intransitive)] > without restraint
to wear one's heart on one's tongue (also in one's mouth)?1576
to speak out1694
to open up1884
to talk cold turkey1928
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or make revelations [verb (intransitive)]
cough1393
wrayc1425
to break a secreta1450
to tell allc1450
to bring (also put) to light1526
to let on1725
to open up1884
to come out of the closet1971
to come out1976
1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn xxvii. 232 Then the Reverend Hobson opened up, slow and solemn, and begun to talk.
1896 H. A. Bryden Tales S. Afr. 210 Cornelis would open up, and yarn to me in a way that, until you know him well, the Boer seldom manifests.
1921 Sat. Evening Post 12 Feb. 61/4 We had a drink and we had another and a couple more. Finally he opened up... It took him two hours to tell his story.
1949 B. Wolfe in A. Dundes Mother Wit (1973) 534 How much did the Negroes tell him when they ‘opened up’? Just how far did they really open up?
1976 J. Crosby Nightfall xii. 66 You're not being very helpful... You must have a few ideas. Open up!
2002 Fangoria Mar. 33/1 Local people will open up to you after a time, especially if they're afraid to talk to the sheriff or the newspapers.
e. intransitive. To begin trading, to start business. Cf. to open out 10 at Phrasal verbs.
ΚΠ
1919 Brit. Manufacturer Nov. 19/1 An Englishman who intends to open up with the Chinese should..first acquire a working knowledge of the Chinese language.
1926 J. Black You can't Win viii. 90 The new owners had no bankroll, just opened up on a shoestring.
1985 Times 17 May 17/1 Pru-Bache..is also excited by the prospects of opening up in a country with almost no experience of retail securities markets.
f. transitive (reflexive). To make oneself mentally or emotionally receptive to; to expose oneself to (also with for). Cf. sense 14a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > capacity for emotion > sensitiveness or tenderness > make (more) sensitive or tender [verb (transitive)]
opena1350
softenc1429
thaw1582
entender1591
undull1654
unsteel1748
to open up1963
1963 A. Huxley Let. 17 Feb. (1969) 949 One..opens oneself up receptively to the Mysterium tremendum et fascinans within and without.
1978 M. Gordon Final Payments (1979) ix. 169 You're opening yourself up for a lot of heartbreak.
1985 J. N. Isbister Freud iii. 103 In the process of offering an interpretation..he would inevitably open himself up to the charge of being an evil man.
1990 K. Ohmae Borderless World (1992) xi. 238 But Thailand has opened itself to the global economy and flourished while Myanmar has shut itself off and fallen backward.
2001 C. Glazebrook Madolescents 96 You could be opening yourself up to a whole new culinary experience. Come on, fill your boots, young'un.
g. intransitive. = sense 14b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > capacity for emotion > sensitiveness or tenderness > become (more) sensitive or tender [verb (intransitive)]
tender1390
soften1565
thaw1598
open1713
to open up1968
1968 Listener 29 Feb. 265/2 I know so many people that before they took it [sc. LSD] were such a drag, and when they took it, they really opened up.
1988 D. Freemantle Profitboss (BNC) 32 Open up to the possibility of how closed your mind is.
1993 Gnosis Winter 17/2 Those cultures..not only help seekers open up, but guide very carefully what seekers open up to.
h. transitive. Film. To flesh out (a narrative) for a screenplay by expanding or adding characters, scenes, locations, etc.; spec. to adapt (a play) for film.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > [verb (transitive)] > adapt into film
filmize1911
cinematize1914
script1936
adapt1952
to open up1970
to open out1981
1970 N.Y. Times 28 July 22/4 A screenplay by Clive Exton that..opens up the action mainly to enlarge the characterization of Ed.
1981 J. Monaco How to read Film (rev. ed.) App. I. 444 To open up a narrative means to provide scenes or sequences in other than the main location.
1989 L. Barnes Snake Tattoo xiv. 137 I have this play... It's been going no place forever, but I'm going to open it up, turn it into a screenplay.
2002 Guardian (Nexis) 12 Oct. 17 In some ways, as you say, you open up the story, it becomes less claustrophobic on screen. But in other ways you pare it down.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
openadv.
/ˈəʊp(ə)n/, U.S. /ˈoʊp(ə)n/ Now regional.
= openly adv. Also: †loudly (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > manifestness > openness or unconcealedness > [adverb]
barelyc950
beforeOE
openlyOE
nakedly?c1225
in a person's bearda1250
opelyc1275
apertly1297
commonlya1325
opena1325
overtlyc1325
pertlya1375
plainc1380
in (also on) opena1382
in apertc1384
plainlyc1390
in open (also general) audiencea1393
aperta1400
in commonaltya1400
outa1400
without laina1400
in commonc1400
publishlyc1400
pertc1410
in publicc1429
on higha1450
in pert1453
to a person's facea1470
into heightc1480
forthward?1504
but hidel?1507
publicly1534
uncolouredly1561
roundly1563
famously1570
vulgarly1602
above board1603
round1604
displayedly1611
on (also upon) the square?1611
undisguisedly1611
broadly1624
discoveredly1659
unveiledly1661
under a person's nose1670
manifestly1711
before faces1762
publically1797
overboard1834
unashamedly1905
upfront1972
a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) 1195 ‘Ich habbe’, quaþ oure lord þo, ‘al open and aperteliche Y-speke in þe temple and ytauȝt, and noþing priueliche.’
c1380 G. Chaucer Second Nun's Tale 284 Tho shewed hym Cecile al open and pleyn That alle ydoles nys but a thyng in veyn.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 26215 His penance open most be schaun.
a1450 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Caius 336/725) (1970) 27 (MED) Of vlceris of þe heed, as talparie, or testudinarie, it is declarid what þei ben open ynowȝ in her placis.
1482 Monk of Evesham 26 [He] lernyd and knewe an ordir of euery thing synglerly, more opynner and fullyor than he knewe afore.
1533 T. More Apologye 100 Some they say be playne and open false.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) iii. iii. 37 Do not then walke too open . View more context for this quotation
1616 B. Jonson Epicœne iii. i, in Wks. I. 566 If shee haue black and rugged teeth, let her offer the lesse at laughter, especially if shee laugh wide, and open . View more context for this quotation
1638 R. Brathwait Barnabees Journall (new ed.) iii. sig. S8 He cryes open..But th'deafe Adder never heares him.
1780 J. Woodforde Diary 24 Oct. (1924) I. 293 He..spoke very open and ingenuous about it.
1877 A. Trollope Amer. Senator (1999) lii. 362 I speak open to you. Don't you be afraid of her.
1921 E. O'Neill Diff'rent ii, in Emperor Jones 252 Tell me all about 'em. You needn't be scared—to talk open with me.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.a1200
adj.eOEv.OE
adv.a1325