English Dictionary
◊ OPEN
open
adj 1: affording unobstructed entrance and exit; not shut or
closed; "an open door"; "they left the door open"
[syn: {unfastened}] [ant: {shut}]
2: affording free passage or access; "open drains"; "the road
is open to traffic"; "open ranks" [ant: {closed}]
3: with no protection or shield; "the exposed northeast
frontier"; "open to the weather"; "an open wound" [syn: {exposed}]
4: open to or in view of all; "an open protest"; "an open
letter to the editor"
5: used of mouth or eyes; "keep your eyes open"; "his mouth
slightly opened" [syn: {opened}] [ant: {closed}]
6: not having been filled; "the job is still open"
7: accessible to all; "open season"; "an open economy"
8: not defended or capable of being defended; "an open city";
"open to attack" [syn: {assailable}, {undefendable}, {undefended}]
9: (of textures) full of small openings or gaps; "an open
texture"; "a loose weave" [syn: {loose}]
10: having no protecting cover or enclosure; "an open boat"; "an
open fire"; "open sports cars"
11: opened out; "an open newspaper"
12: (mathematics) of a set; containing points whose neighborhood
consists of other points of the same set, or being the
complement of an open set; of an interval; containing
neither of its end points [ant: {closed}]
13: not brought to a conclusion; subject to further thought; "an
open question"; "our position on this bill is still
undecided"; "our lawsuit is still undetermined" [syn: {undecided},
{undetermined}, {unresolved}]
14: not sealed or having been unsealed; "the letter was already
open"; "the opened package lay on the table" [syn: {opened}]
15: without undue constriction as from e.g. tenseness or
inhibition; "the clarity and resonance of an open tone";
"her natural and open response"
16: relatively empty of and unobstructed by fences or hedges or
headlands or shoals; "in open country"; "the open
countryside"; "open waters"; "on the open seas"
17: open and observable; not secret or hidden; "an overt lie";
"overt hostility"; "overt intelligence gathering" [syn: {overt}]
[ant: {covert}]
18: (music) used of string or hole or pipe of instruments [syn:
{unstopped}] [ant: {stopped}]
19: not requiring union membership; "an open shop employs
nonunion workers" [syn: {open(a)}]
20: not secret; "open plans"; "an open ballot"
21: without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious;
"open disregard of the law"; "open family strife"; "open
hostility"; "a blatant appeal to vanity"; "a blazing
indiscretion" [syn: {blatant}, {blazing}, {conspicuous}]
22: affording free passage or view; "a clear view"; "a clear
path to victory"; "a free lane" [syn: {clear}, {free}]
23: lax in enforcing laws; "an open town" [syn: {wide-open}, {lawless}]
24: openly straightforward and direct without reserve or
secretiveness; "his candid eyes"; "an open and trusting
nature" [syn: {candid}]
25: sincere and free of reserve in expression; "Please be open
with me"
26: receptive to new ideas; "an open mind"; "open to new ideas"
27: ready for business; "the stores are open"
n 1: a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water:
"finally broke out of the forest into the open" [syn: {clear}]
2: where the air is unconfined; "he wanted to get out in the
air a little"; "the concert was held in the open air";
"camping in the open" [syn: {outdoors}, {out-of-doors}, {air},
{open air}]
3: a tournament in which both professionals and amateurs may
play
4: information that has become public; "all the reports were
out in the open"; "the facts had been brought to the
surface" [syn: {surface}]
v 1: cause to open or to become open; "Mary opened the car door"
[syn: {open up}] [ant: {close}]
2: start to operate or function or cause to start operating or
functioning; "open a business" [syn: {open up}] [ant: {close}]
3: become open; "The door opened" [syn: {open up}] [ant: {close}]
4: begin or set in action, of meetings, speeches, recitals,
etc.; "He opened the meeting with a long speech" [ant: {close}]
5: spread out or open from a folded state; "open the map" [syn:
{unfold}, {spread}, {spread out}] [ant: {fold}]
6: make available, as of an opportunity; "This opens up new
possibilities" [syn: {open up}]
7: become available; "an opportunity opened up" [syn: {open up}]
8: have an opening or passage or outlet; "The bedrooms open
into the hall"
9: make the opening move, in chess; "Kasparov opened with a
standard opening"
10: afford access to; "the door opens to the patio"; "The French
doors give onto a terrace" [syn: {afford}, {give}]
11: display the contents of a file or start an application [ant:
{close}]
English Computing Dictionary
◊ OPEN
open
1. To prepare to read or write a file. This usually involves
checking whether the file already exists and that the user has
the necessary authorisation to read or write it. The result
of a successful open is usually some kind of {capability}
(e.g. a {Unix} {file descriptor}) - a token that the user
passes back to the system in order to access the file without
further checks and finally to close the file.
2. Abbreviation for "open (or left) parenthesis" - used when
necessary to eliminate oral ambiguity. To read aloud the LISP
form (DEFUN FOO (X) (PLUS X 1)) one might say: "Open defun
foo, open eks close, open, plus eks one, close close."
3. Non-proprietary. An open {standard} is one which can be
used without payment.
[{Jargon File}]
(1995-01-31)