makes something open or accessible; begins or starts something.
From Old English 'openian,' possibly derived from Proto-Germanic roots related to 'open' meaning 'not closed.' The verb form carries meanings from physical opening to metaphorical beginning.
We use 'open' for so many things—open a door, open your mind, open a store—because opening something has always been metaphorical magic: it reveals what was hidden and creates possibility.
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