Opening

How to spell opening

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce opening

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does opening mean?

1. nounA hole, gap, or space that allows passage or access.
2. nounThe first part or beginning of an event, performance, or piece of writing.
3. nounAn available position or job that needs to be filled.

Opening in a sentence

• The cat squeezed through a narrow opening in the fence.

• The opening of the film grabbed the whole audience.

• The company posted an opening for a senior analyst.

• Cold air rushed in through the opening above the door.

• Her speech had a strong opening that set the tone.

• There is an opening on the marketing team this quarter.

Where does opening come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word builds directly on the native English verb 'open', which descends from Old English 'openian', meaning 'to make open or uncover', itself related to the adjective 'open' and ultimately to the same Germanic root that gave us 'up'. The image behind it is of something raised or lifted so that what was closed is now exposed. Adding the suffix '-ing', a thoroughly Germanic ending used to turn verbs into nouns of action or result, produced 'opening', recorded in English from before the year 1300. Over the centuries the noun branched out from the literal 'a hole or gap' to figurative uses such as the start of an event and a job vacancy. Because the word is simply 'open' plus '-ing', the only spelling caution is resisting the urge to double the 'n', since the stress falls on the first syllable and the consonant stays single.

How the word is built

• open (verb/adjective root)
• -ing (noun/gerund suffix)