opening
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈəʊ.pə.nɪŋ/
ipa: /ˈoʊ.pə.nɪŋ/
ipa: /ˈəʉp.nɪŋ/
Forms: form: openings
Etymology: From Middle English openyng, openynge, openunge, from Old English openung (“an opening”), from Proto-West Germanic *opanungu, from Proto-Germanic *upanungō (“an opening”), equivalent to open + -ing. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Eepenge, Epenge (“an opening”), West Frisian iepening (“an opening”), Dutch opening (“an opening”), German Öffnung (“an opening”), Danish åbning (“an opening”), Swedish öppning (“an opening”).
Senses: examples: text: The daily openings of the day lily bloom gives it its name.
text: He remembered fondly the Christmas morning opening of presents.
glosses: An act or instance of making or becoming open.
examples: text: A salamander darted out of an opening in the rocks.
text: He slipped through an opening in the crowd.
text: He held that great exactness in craniotopography is unnecessary, all that is needed being to make a sufficiently large opening.
ref: 1894, George Frederick Shrady, Thomas Lathrop Stedman, Medical Record, volume 45, page 569:
text: Specialised long-reach excavators with a clamshell grab then reach though the openings to lift the spoil to the surface, which is then deposited in articulated dump trucks (ADTs).
ref: 2023 March 8, Chris Howe, “Building the platform for Old Oak Common's platforms”, in RAIL, number 978, page 60:
glosses: A gap permitting passage through.
examples: text: There have been few factory and store openings in the US lately.
text: Their opening of the concert with Brass in Pocket always fires up the crowd.
glosses: An act or instance of beginning.
examples: They were disappointed at the turnout for their opening, but hoped that word would spread.
glosses: Something that is a beginning.
The first performance of a show or play by a particular troupe.
examples: text: The French openings decided that satin gowns, suits, wraps and even hats were to be in first fashion this autumn.
ref: 1916 September 11, Anne Rittenhouse, “Dress: One-piece Frocks of Satin in Neutral Colors, With Bits of Colored Embroidery”, in The Journal and Tribune, volume 30, number 235, Knoxville, Tenn., page 6:
glosses: Something that is a beginning.
The initial period when an art exhibition, fashion show, etc. is first opened, especially the first evening.
glosses: Something that is a beginning.
The first few measures of a musical composition.
examples: text: John spends two hours a day studying chess openings, and another two hours studying endgames.
glosses: Something that is a beginning.
The first few moves in a game.
examples: text: Are there likely to be any openings on the Supreme Court in the next four years?
glosses: A vacant position, especially in an array.
examples: If you'd like to make a booking with us, we have an opening at twelve o'clock.
The only two-hour openings for the hockey rink are between 1AM and 5AM.
glosses: A vacant position, especially in an array.
A time available in a schedule.
examples: We have an opening in our marketing department.
glosses: A vacant position, especially in an array.
An unoccupied employment position.
examples: text: The Reds carved the first opening of the second period as Glen Johnson's pull-back found David Ngog but the Frenchman hooked wide from six yards.
ref: 2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC:
glosses: An opportunity, as in a competitive activity.
topics: mathematics
sciences
glosses: In mathematical morphology, the dilation of the erosion of a set.
Synonyms: sense: gap
word: hole
word: gap
word: crevice
word: hole
word: interspace
sense: available time
word: availability
sense: available time
word: slot
sense: unoccupied employment position
word: job opening
Coordinate terms: sense: opening of an art show
word: vernissage
Derived terms: sense: terms derived from all parts of speech/etymology
word: counteropening
sense: terms derived from all parts of speech/etymology
word: eye-opening
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word: grand opening
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word: market opening
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word: non-opening
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word: nonopening
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word: opening argument
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word: opening batsman
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word: opening book
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word: opening ceremony
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word: opening credits
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word: opening day
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word: opening fire
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word: opening goal
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word: opening gun
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word: opening hours
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word: opening move
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word: opening night
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word: opening of an envelope
sense: terms derived from all parts of speech/etymology
word: opening speech
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word: opening statement
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word: opening time
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word: potato opening
sense: terms derived from all parts of speech/etymology
word: preopening
sense: terms derived from all parts of speech/etymology
word: re-opening
sense: terms derived from all parts of speech/etymology
word: re-re-opening
sense: terms derived from all parts of speech/etymology
word: self-opening
sense: terms derived from all parts of speech/etymology
word: soft opening
sense: terms derived from all parts of speech/etymology
word: unopening
sense: terms derived from all parts of speech/etymology
word: vaginal opening
sense: terms derived from all parts of speech/etymology
word: vulvar opening