opening
/ˈoʊ.pə.nɪŋ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.94 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Pertaining to the start or beginning of a series of events.
noun
A gap permitting passage through.
Example Sentences
- "The opening theme of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is, perhaps, the most recognizable in all of European art music."
- "The opening act of the battle for Fort Sumter was the firing of a single 10-inch mortar round from Fort Johnson at 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, by Lt. Henry S. Farley, who acted upon the command of Capt. George S. James, which round exploded over Fort Sumter as a signal to open the general bombardment from 43 guns and mortars at Fort Moultrie, Fort Johnson, the floating battery, and Cummings Point."
- "The daily openings of the day lily bloom gives it its name."
- "He remembered fondly the Christmas morning opening of presents."
- "A salamander darted out of an opening in the rocks."
- "He slipped through an opening in the crowd."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈoʊ.pə.nɪŋ/
- British English: /ˈəʊ.pə.nɪŋ/