Etymologically
Log in

open

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 15:39. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /ˈoː.pə(n)/[1]

Forms

open (comparative opener, superlative openst)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch open, inherited from Old Dutch opan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *opan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *upana- (“open”).[2][1][3] The same word is Old Saxon opan, Old High German offan (modern German offen), Old English open (modern English open) and Old Norse opinn.[2][3][4] Beside it stood a form with a different suffix vowel, ⟨*upina-⟩, which gave with umlaut Old Frisian epen (modern West Frisian iepen) and Swedish öppen, and dialect forms in Drenthe and Overijssel.[2][3][5]

The adjective is derived from op.[2][6][3] Its ending is that of a strong past participle, so it may be the participle of a verb that has otherwise left no trace.[7][8][1] The first meaning was probably “lying on top, uncovered”, a development like that of German auf (“up, on”) in aufmachen (“to open”) and aufdecken (“to uncover”).[2][3][9] Vercoullie compared Latin supīnus (“lying on the back”), which is formed in a similar way.[10]

The 17th-century spelling ⟨ope⟩, used by Hooft and Vondel, imitated the pronunciation of Holland.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Old Dutch adjective appears around 1100 in a text from Egmond, which says that the knowledge of truth in Holy Scripture is also ophan as a flowing spring, because it is easy to understand.[11] In Middle Dutch it is found in a Limburg word list of about 1240, where open glosses Latin patulus “standing open”.[2][12][13]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch used the word of doors and gates, as in a West Flemish text of 1285 in which the east gate stont open “stood open”, of wounds, and of water that was not frozen and could be sailed.[12][14] It also meant “accessible”: an open huus (1290) was a fortified house that the overlord had the right to enter and garrison at any time.[12][14]

From “not closed” the word passed to “not hidden”, “frank” and “not yet decided”: an open vraag is a question that has not been settled.[15][16] In the 17th century the adjective could be used as a noun, het open “an opening, a way out”, but by the 19th century this survived only as an archaism.[8] Education took it up in the 1970s: the open school for adults dates from 1974, and the Open Universiteit was planned from 1973.[17] In sport de open is now an open championship.[16]

Danish åben sø and Norwegian åpen sjø “open sea” follow the Dutch phrase.[18] Negerhollands had open and hopo, which passed into Virgin Islands Creole, and Sranan Tongo opo comes from Dutch or English; in Jakarta Malay opèn means “attentive, approachable”.[18][1]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Old Dutch ophan “open, accessible” in a text from Egmond.[11]
  • c. 1240 – Middle Dutch open glosses Latin patulus in Limburg.[2][12][13]
  • 1285 – The east gate stont open in a West Flemish text.[12]
  • 1290 – An open huus, a castle open to its lord.[12]
  • 1598 – The noun open “way out” in a report of a voyage through the ice.[8]
  • 1974 – The open school for adult education.[17]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. open, not closed or shut: Laat het raam maar open.[16][1]
  2. Open to everyone, accessible; of a shop or business, open for customers: De bakker is op zondag open. A open dag is a day when the public may visit an institution.[16][1]
  3. Uncovered; frank, not hiding anything: open kaart spelen “to put one's cards on the table”.[16][19]
  4. Not yet filled in or decided: een open einde “an open ending”.[16]
  5. Not occupied, free: een open doel “an empty goal”.[16]

Noun

  1. (de open, sport) An open championship.[16]

Word family

  • openbaar
  • openen
  • openbaren
  • openbarsten
  • openbreken
  • opener
  • opengaan
  • openhartig
  • openheid
  • openhouden
  • opening
  • openlaten
  • openlijk
  • openlucht
  • openstaan
  • ope

Usage notes

Iemand met open armen ontvangen “to welcome someone with open arms” is found in Hooft in the 17th century, and German, English and French have the same phrase.[15] In North Holland uit een open reden meant “for no particular reason”.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
  3. ^ a b c d e Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  4. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  5. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  6. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
  7. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  8. ^ a b c d Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
  9. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 273
  10. ^ Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
  11. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  12. ^ a b c d e f Pijnenburg, W. J. J., et al. (2001), Vroegmiddelnederlands woordenboek: woordenboek van het Nederlands van de dertiende eeuw in hoofdzaak op basis van het Corpus-Gysseling, Leiden: Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie; gtb.ivdnt.org
  13. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  14. ^ a b Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  15. ^ a b c Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  17. ^ a b Reinsma, R. (1984), Neologismen, Utrecht: Spectrum
  18. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  19. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org