open sesame
English
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open sesame¹
Where it comes from
From its use in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, translating French Sésame, ouvre-toi in Antoine Galland's version of the Ali Baba story in the One Thousand and One Nights, possibly based on an oral Arabic source.
Not, as some have purported, a corruption of Open, says me!.
phrase open, Sesame · open, sesame · open Sesame
- open up (especially referring to doors)
noun open sesames · open, Sesame · open, sesame · open Sesame
- Any successful means of achieving a result, especially means that are magical or technical, or otherwise beyond the understanding of most people. "The blue topaz was bought by me, from the chieftain of the tribe to which Quacal belongs. It is an ‘open sesame’ to his favor."
open Sesame²
phrase
- Alternative form of open sesame The hinges of the hall door were so stiff during Miss Magan’s tenancy, that Dr. Fleming, who as a cousin once ventured to visit the moneyed recluse, had to call at a neighbouring chemist’s for sweet oil ere he felt safe in crying ‘Open Sesame.’
Translations
Every language
phrase open up
| Español | ábrete sésamo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 開け胡麻, 開けゴマ hirake goma |
| 中文 | 芝麻開門 /芝麻开门 zhīma kāimén |
| Português | abre-te sésamo |
| Français | Sésame, ouvre-toi |
| Deutsch | Sesam, öffne dich |
| Italiano | apriti sesamo |
| Русский | сеза́м, откро́йся sezám, otkrójsja, симси́м, откро́йся simsím, otkrójsja |
| العربية | اِفْتَح يَا سِمْسِم iftaḥ yā simsim |
noun successful means of achieving a result
| Français | sésame |
|---|---|
| Italiano | chiave di volta |
Talk about this word "open sesame." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/open%20sesame. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. open sesame. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/open%20sesame "open sesame." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/open%20sesame.Cite this
@misc{open_sesame_2026,
title = {open sesame},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/open%20sesame},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
