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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

open-source en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /ˈəʊpən ˌsɔːs/ (UK)
  • /ˈoʊpən ˌsɔɹs/ (US)
  • (General-American) audio

Etymology

See open source.

Meanings

  1. (not-comparable) Of or relating to software where the source code is freely available and licensed in a manner that permits modification and redistribution.
    • Linux is an open-source operating system.
    • ASP.NET MVC has been under an open-source license since the initial release, but it was just open-source code instead of a full open-source project. 2014, Jon Galloway, Brad Wilson, K. Scott Allen, David Matson, Professional ASP.NET MVC 5, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 10:
    • OpenSNP constituted a rare example of how open-source projects can successfully operate on a low budget, having repeatedly rejected offers from corporations to sell control of the data. 2025 April 2, Bill Toulas, “Genetic data site openSNP to close and delete data over privacy concerns”, in BleepingComputer:
  2. (not-comparable) Of or relating to digital resources made publicly available alongside their source files to enable their modification and redistribution.
    • open-source hardware (with editable CAD files)
    • open-source fonts
  3. (broadly, not-comparable) Describing any product whose composition or method of manufacturing is public knowledge and not proprietary.
    • open-source cola
    • open-source hardware (schematics provided for free)
  4. (not-comparable) Relying on publicly available information (open sources).
    • open-source intelligence
    • The ramifications of disinformation spill on to the streets with tangible, often devastating real-world consequences. These processes were already under way in 2014, when I founded the open-source investigative group Bellingcat. 2023 December 16, Eliot Higgins, “Moment of truth”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
open source alternative lexicographic
opensource alternative lexicographic

Antonyms

closed-source

Deriveds

open-sourceness

Relateds

free software · source-available

Translations (9)

de quelltextoffen (Translations) · pl otwarty (Translations) · pl otwartoźródłowy (Translations) · tr açık kaynak (Translations) · de quelloffen (Translations) · ar مَفْتُوح الْمَصْدَرِ (Translations) · cmn 開源的 /开源的 (Translations) · el ανοιχτός κώδικας (Translations) · es código abierto (Translations)

open-source en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /ˈəʊpən ˌsɔːs/ (UK)
  • /ˈoʊpən ˌsɔɹs/ (US)
  • (General-American) audio

Etymology

See open source.

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To release the source code of, so as to permit modification and redistribution.
    • The big Unix company Sun Microsystems bought the code for StarOffice in 1999, and some time afterward they open-sourced as much of it as they could. 2005, David Brickner, Test Driving Linux: From Windows to Linux in 60 Seconds:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
opensource alternative lexicographic
open source alternative lexicographic
open-sources Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
open-sourced Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
open-sourced Tense=Past lexicographic
open-sourcing Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic