opening

Pronunciation: /ˈoʊ.pə.nɪŋ/

Reading level: medium

Estimated CEFR level: B1 — Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun an open or empty space in or between things
  2. noun a ceremony accompanying the start of some enterprise
  3. noun becoming open or being made open

Etymology

From Middle English openynge, openande, openand, from Old English openiende, from Proto-West Germanic *opanōndī, from Proto-Germanic *upanōndz, present participle of *upanōną (“to open”), equivalent to open + -ing. Cognate with West Frisian iepenjend, Dutch openend, German öffnend, Swedish öppnande, Icelandic opnandi.

In classic literature

Synonyms

gap

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
space
Narrower (hyponyms)
chasm, diastema, foramen, ranvier's nodes, mouth, breach

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