Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

open-arse

/ˈəʊpənɑːs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.56 in modern English

Syllables: open-arse
IPA: /ˈəʊpənɑːs/

10

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The medlar fruit.

British usage

Example Sentences

"In several of our counties the same fruit is called an open arse; another of those unluckily belotted travesties of a very properly-expressed original phrase [...]."
"On a second reading, prompted by the reproaches of several friends and scholars, I conclude that the pun on medlar, slangily known as ‘an open-arse’, and poperin pear, shape-resembling penis and scrotum, is so forcibly obvious that ‘an open et-caetera’ must here mean ‘an open arse’."

Etymology

From Middle English open-ers, from Old English openears, corresponding to open + arse, ‘with allusion to the large cavity at the end of the fruit between the persistent calyx lobes’ – OED3.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: open-ers, openears

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈəʊpənɑːs/

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

open-arses (plural)

Questions

How do you pronounce open-arse?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈəʊpənɑːs/.
What does open-arse mean?: The medlar fruit.
Where does open-arse come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce open-arse

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “open-arse”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈəʊpənɑːs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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