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open-source

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open-source

  • /ˈəʊpən ˌsɔːs/ UK
  • /ˈoʊpən ˌsɔɹs/ US

Where it comes from

See open source.

adjective open source · opensource

  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.
  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)
  3. broadly, not comparable Describing any product whose composition or method of manufacturing is public knowledge and not proprietary. open-source hardware (schematics provided for free)
  4. not comparable Relying on publicly available information (open sources). open-source intelligence

Opposite: closed-source

verb open-sources · open-sourcing · open-sourced · open source · opensource

  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.

Thesaurus

adjective

Opposite: closed-source

Translations

Every language

adj Translations

Españolcódigo abierto
中文開源的 /开源的
Deutschquelloffen, quelltextoffen
Ελληνικάανοιχτός κώδικας anoichtós kódikas
العربيةمَفْتُوح الْمَصْدَرِ maftūḥ al-maṣdari

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Cite this
MLA

"open-source." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/open-source. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

open-source. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/open-source

Chicago

"open-source." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/open-source.

BibTeX
@misc{open_source_2026,
  title = {open-source},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/open-source},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}