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PlainSpell

open source

/ˈoʊpən ˌsɔɹs/noun, verb

open source is a noun meaning “The practice of providing open-source code for a product” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled O-P-E-N-S-O-U-R-C-E.

What does open source mean?

noun

  1. 1

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

  2. 2

    Open-source software in general.

    His contributions to open source are numerous.

  3. 3

    Information that is in the public domain and available to everybody.

adjective

as open-source
  1. 1

    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. 2

    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. 3

    Describing any product whose composition or method of manufacturing is public knowledge and not proprietary.

    open-source hardware (schematics provided for free)

  4. 4

    Relying on publicly available information (open sources).

    open-source intelligence

verb

as open-source
  1. 1

    To release the source code of, so as to permit modification and redistribution.

verb

  1. 1

    Alternative form of open-source.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you pronounce open source?

  • US /ˈoʊpən ˌsɔɹs/

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Qwertygiy-open_source.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of open source

  • opensource
  • open-sources present, singular, he/she/it
  • open-sourcing participle, present
  • open-sourced participle, past
  • open sources present, singular, he/she/it
  • open sourcing participle, present
  • open sourced participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Words people confuse with open source

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

open source vs opensource0 B

Also written: opensource (one word or two).

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

Open source in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Germanquelloffen, quelltextoffen (Translations), Open Source (practice), Open-Source-Software (software)
Spanishcódigo abierto (Translations)
Frenchcode source ouvert (practice), libre, open source, source ouverte (software)
Portuguesecódigo aberto (practice)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does open source come from?

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.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).