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o·pen·er (ōpə-nər)
Share:
n.
1. One that opens, especially a device used to cut open cans or pry up bottle caps.
2. Games
a. The player who starts the betting in cards.
b. openers Cards of sufficient value to enable the holder to open the betting.
3. A remark that initiates a conversation.
4.
a. The first act in a program of entertainment, as in a theatrical variety show or a concert.
b. Any act in a program of entertainment that takes place prior to the main act, as in a theatrical variety show or a concert.
5. Sports The first game in a series.
Idiom:
for openers Informal
To begin with: "Out of 54 potential jurors, they knocked 20 off ... just for openers" (Joseph DiMona).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.