Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Open
O′pen
,Adj.
1.
Free of access; not shut up; not closed; affording unobstructed ingress or egress; not impeding or preventing passage; not locked up or covered over; – applied to passageways;
as, an
; also, to inclosed structures or objects; open
door, window, road, etc.as,
; also, to means of communication or approach by water or land; open
houses, boxes, baskets, bottles, etc.as, an
. open
harbor or roadsteadThrough the gate,
Wide
Wide
open
and unguarded, Satan passed. Milton
Also, figuratively, used of the ways of communication of the mind, as by the senses; ready to hear, see, etc.; as, to keep one’s eyes and ears open.
His ears are
open
unto their cry. Ps. xxxiv. 15.
2.
Free to be used, enjoyed, visited, or the like; not private; public; unrestricted in use;
as, an
; liable to the approach, trespass, or attack of any one; unprotected; exposed. open
library, museum, court, or other assemblyIf Demetrius . . . have a matter against any man, the law is
open
and there are deputies. Acts xix. 33.
The service that I truly did his life,
Hath left me
Hath left me
open
to all injuries. Shakespeare
3.
Free or cleared of obstruction to progress or to view; accessible;
as, an
open
tract; the open
sea.4.
Not drawn together, closed, or contracted; extended; expanded;
as, an
open
hand; open
arms; an open
flower; an open
prospect.Each, with
open
arms, embraced her chosen knight. Dryden.
5.
Hence: (a)
Without reserve or false pretense; sincere; characterized by sincerity; unfeigned; frank; also, generous; liberal; bounteous; – applied to personal appearance, or character, and to the expression of thought and feeling, etc.
With aspect
open
, shall erect his head. Pope.
The Moor is of a free and
open
nature. Shakespeare
The French are always
open
, familiar, and talkative. Addison.
His thefts are too
open
. Shakespeare
That I may find him, and with secret gaze
Or
Or
open
admiration him behold. Milton.
6.
Not of a quality to prevent communication, as by closing water ways, blocking roads, etc.; hence, not frosty or inclement; mild; – used of the weather or the climate;
as, an
open
season; an open
winter. Bacon.
7.
Not settled or adjusted; not decided or determined; not closed or withdrawn from consideration;
as, an
open
account; an open
question; to keep an offer or opportunity open
.8.
Free; disengaged; unappropriated;
as, to keep a day
open
for any purpose; to be open
for an engagement.9.
(Phon.)
(a)
Uttered with a relatively wide opening of the articulating organs; – said of vowels;
as, the än fär is
. open
as compared with the ā in sāy(b)
Uttered, as a consonant, with the oral passage simply narrowed without closure, as in uttering s.
10.
(Mus.)
(a)
Not closed or stopped with the finger; – said of the string of an instrument, as of a violin, when it is allowed to vibrate throughout its whole length.
(b)
Produced by an open string;
as, an
. open
toneThe open air
, the air out of doors.
– Open chain
. (Chem.)
See
– Closed chain
, under Chain
. Open circuit
(Elec.)
, a conducting circuit which is incomplete, or interrupted at some point; – opposed to an uninterrupted, or
– closed circuit
. Open communion
, communion in the Lord's supper not restricted to persons who have been baptized by immersion. Cf.
– Close communion
, under Close
, Adj.
Open diapason
(Mus.)
, a certain stop in an organ, in which the pipes or tubes are formed like the mouthpiece of a flageolet at the end where the wind enters, and are open at the other end.
– Open flank
(Fort.)
, the part of the flank covered by the orillon.
– Open-front furnace
(Metal.)
, a blast furnace having a forehearth.
– Open harmony
(Mus.)
, harmony the tones of which are widely dispersed, or separated by wide intervals.
– Open hawse
(Naut.)
, a hawse in which the cables are parallel or slightly divergent. Cf.
– Foul hawse
, under Hawse
. Open hearth
(Metal.)
, the shallow hearth of a reverberatory furnace.
– Open-hearth furnace
, a reverberatory furnace; esp., a kind of reverberatory furnace in which the fuel is gas, used in manufacturing steel.
– Open-hearth process
(Steel Manuf.)
, a process by which melted cast iron is converted into steel by the addition of wrought iron, or iron ore and manganese, and by exposure to heat in an open-hearth furnace; – also called the
– Siemens-Martin process
, from the inventors. Open-hearth steel
, steel made by an open-hearth process; – also called
– Siemens-Martin steel
. Open newel
. (Arch.)
See
– Hollow newel
, under Hollow
. Open pipe
(Mus.)
, a pipe open at the top. It has a pitch about an octave higher than a closed pipe of the same length.
– Open-timber roof
(Arch.)
, a roof of which the constructional parts, together with the under side of the covering, or its lining, are treated ornamentally, and left to form the ceiling of an apartment below, as in a church, a public hall, and the like.
– Open vowel
or Open consonant
See , 9.
Open
, Adj.
☞ Open is used in many compounds, most of which are self-explaining; as, open-breasted, open-minded.
O′pen
,Noun.
Open or unobstructed space; clear land, without trees or obstructions; open ocean; open water.
“To sail into the open.” Jowett (Thucyd.).
Then we got into the
open
. W. Black.
1.
To make or set open; to render free of access; to unclose; to unbar; to unlock; to remove any fastening or covering from;
as, to
open
a door; to open
a box; to open
a room; to open
a letter.And all the windows of my heart
I
I
open
to the day. Whittier.
2.
To spread; to expand;
as, to
. open
the hand3.
To disclose; to reveal; to interpret; to explain.
The king
opened
himself to some of his council, that he was sorry for the earl's death. Bacon.
Unto thee have I
opened
my cause. Jer. xx. 12.
While he
opened
to us the Scriptures. Luke xxiv. 32.
4.
To make known; to discover; also, to render available or accessible for settlements, trade, etc.
The English did adventure far for to
open
the North parts of America. Abp. Abbot.
5.
To enter upon; to begin;
as, to
open
a discussion; to open
fire upon an enemy; to open
trade, or correspondence; to open
an investigation; to open
a case in court, or a meeting.6.
To loosen or make less compact;
as, to
. open
matted cotton by separating the fibersTo open one's mouth
, to speak
To open up
, to lay open; to discover; to disclose.
Poetry that had
opened up
so many delightful views into the character and condition of our “bold peasantry, their country's pride.” Prof. Wilson.
O′pen
,Verb.
I.
1.
To unclose; to form a hole, breach, or gap; to be unclosed; to be parted.
The earth
opened
and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. Ps. cvi. 17.
2.
To expand; to spread out; to be disclosed;
as, the harbor
. opened
to our view3.
To begin; to commence;
as, the stock
opened
at par; the battery opened
upon the enemy.4.
(Sporting)
To bark on scent or view of the game.
Webster 1828 Edition
Open
OPEN
, a o'pn.1.
Unclosed; not shut; as, the gate is open; an open door or window; an open book; open eyes.2.
Spread; expanded. He received his son with open arms.3.
Unsealed; as an open letter.4.
Not shut or fast; as an open hand.5.
Not covered; as the open air; an open vessel.6.
Not covered with trees; clear; as an open country or field.7.
Not stopped; as an open bottle.8.
Not fenced or obstructed; as an open road.9.
Not frosty; warmer than usual; not freezing severely; as an open winter.An open and warm winter portendeth a hot and dry summer.
Johnson interprets open, in this passage, by not cloudy, not gloomy. I think the definition wrong. In America, an open winter is one in which the earth is not bound with frost and covered with snow.
10.
Public; before a court and its suitors. His testimony was given in open court.11.
Admitting all persons without restraint; free to all comers. He keeps open house at the election.12.
Clear of ice; as, the river or the harbor is open.13.
Plain; apparent; evident; public; not secret or concealed; as an open declaration; open avowal; open shame; open defiance. The nations contend to open war or in open arms.14.
Not wearing disguise; frank; sincere; unreserved; candid; artless.He was held a man open and of good faith.
His generous, open undesigning heart.
15.
Not clouded; not contracted or frowning; having an air of frankness and sincerity; as an open look.With aspect open shall erect his head.
16.
Not hidden; exposed to view.We are to exercise our thoughts and lay open the treasures of divine truth.
17.
Ready to hear or receive what is offered.His ears are open to their cry. Ps. 34.
18.
Free to be employed for redress; not restrained or denied; not precluding any person.The law is open. Acts 19.
19.
Exposed; not protected; without defense. The country is open to the invaders.- Hath left me open to all injuries.
20.
Attentive; employed in inspection.Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men - Jer. 32.
21.
Clear; unobstructed; as an open view.22.
Unsettled; not balanced or closed; as an open account.Open accounts between merchants.
23.
Not closed; free to be debated; as a question open for discussion.24.
In music, an open note is that which a string is tuned to produce.OPEN
,Verb.
T.
1.
To unclose; to unbar; to unlock; to remove any fastening or cover and set open; as, to open a door or gate; to open a desk.2.
To break the seal of a letter and unfold it.3.
To separate parts that are close; as, to open the lips; to open the mouth or eyes or eyelids; to open a book.4.
To remove a covering from; as, to open a pit.5.
To cut through; to perforate; to lance; as, to open the skin; to open an abscess.6.
To break; to divide; to split or rend; as, the earth was opened in many places by an earthquake; a rock is opened by blasting.7.
To clear; to make by removing obstructions; as, to open a road; to open a passage; the heat of spring opens rivers bound with ice.8.
To spread; to expand; as, to open the hand.9.
To unstop; as, to open a bottle.10.
To begin; to make the first exhibition. The attorney general opens the cause on the part of the king or the state. Homer opens his poem with the utmost simplicity and modesty.11.
To show; to bring to view or knowledge.The English did adventure far to open the north parts of America.
12.
To interpret; to explain.- While he opened to us the Scriptures. Luke. 24.
13.
To reveal; to disclose. He opened his mind very freely.14.
To make liberal; as, to open the heart.15.
To make the first discharge of artillery; as, to open a heavy fire on the enemy.16.
To enter on or begin; as to open a negotiation or correspondence; to open a trade with the Indies.17.
To begin to see by the removal of something intercepted the view; as, we sailed round the point and opened the harbor.OPEN
,Verb.
I.
1.
To unclose itself; to be unclosed; to be parted.The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. Ps. 106.
2.
To begin to appear. As we sailed round the point, the harbor opened to our view.3.
To commence; to begin. sales of stock open at par.4.
To bark; a term in hunting.