open source

US/ˈoʊpən ˌsɔɹs/

noun

The practice of providing open-source code for a product.

“His contributions to open source are numerous.”

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Meanings

nounopen source (uncountable)
  1. uncountablecomputingThe practice of providing open-source code for a product.

    OpenSNP, a fourteen-year-old open source repository for genetic records, will shut down and delete all its data at the end of April.

    2025 April 1, Thomas Claburn, “Genetic data repo OpenSNP to self-destruct before authoritarians weaponize it”, in The Register
  2. uncountablecomputingOpen-source software in general.

    His contributions to open source are numerous.

  3. uncountableespionageInformation that is in the public domain and available to everybody.
verbopen source (third-person singular simple present open sources, present participle open sourcing, simple past and past participle open sourced)

present singular third person open sources · participle present open sourcing · participle past open sourced · past open sourced

  1. alternativeAlternative form of open-source.

Origin

Compound of open + source, coined by Christine Peterson in 1998 for software as an umbrella term to encompass existing concepts such as free software, freedomware, and sourceware.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan codi obert, codi font obert
  • codi obertpractice
  • codi font obertpractice
  • codi obertsoftware
  • codi font obertsoftware
Chinese Mandarin 開源 /开源, 開放原始碼 /开放原始码
  • 開源 /开源 (kāiyuán)practice
  • 開放原始碼 /开放原始码 (kāifàngyuánshǐmǎ)practice
  • 開源軟件 /开源软件 (kāiyuán ruǎnjiàn)software
  • 開放原始碼軟體 /开放原始码软体 (kāifàngyuánshǐmǎ ruǎntǐ)software
Dutch open source
  • open sourcepractice
Finnish avoin lähdekoodi, avoin lähdekoodi
  • avoin lähdekoodipractice
  • avoin lähdekoodisoftware
French code source ouvert, libre
  • code source ouvertpractice
  • libresoftware
  • open sourcesoftware
  • source ouvertesoftware
German Open Source, Open-Source-Software
  • Open Sourcepractice
  • Open-Source-Softwaresoftware
Greek ανοικτός κώδικας, ανοικτός κώδικας
  • ανοικτός κώδικας (anoiktós kódikas)practice
  • ανοικτός κώδικας (anoiktós kódikas)software
  • ανοικτός πηγαίος κώδικας (anoiktós pigaíos kódikas)software
Irish foinse oscailte
  • foinse oscailtepractice
Italian codice aperto, open source
  • codice apertopractice
  • open sourcepractice
  • codice apertosoftware
  • open sourcesoftware
Japanese オープンソース, オープンソースソフトウェア
  • オープンソース (ōpun sōsu)practice
  • オープンソースソフトウェア (ōpun sōsu sofutowhea)software
Portuguese código aberto, código aberto
  • código abertopractice
  • código abertosoftware
Romanian software de sursă deschisă, software de open-source
  • software de sursă deschisăsoftware
  • software de open-sourcesoftware
Spanish código abierto, código abierto
  • código abiertopractice
  • código abiertosoftware
Swedish öppen källkod, open source
  • öppen källkodpractice
  • open sourcepractice
Tamil திறமூலம்
  • திறமூலம் (tiṟamūlam)practice
Thai โอเพนซอร์ส, โอเพนซอร์ส
  • โอเพนซอร์สpractice
  • โอเพนซอร์สsoftware
Turkish açık kaynak yazılım, açık kaynak
  • açık kaynak yazılımsoftware
  • açık kaynaksoftware
Vietnamese phần mềm nguồn mở
  • phần mềm nguồn mởsoftware
Cite this entry
APA

open source. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20source

MLA

“open source.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20source. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “open source,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20source.

Source: open source on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.