different between opening vs beginning

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?o?.p?.n??/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???.p?.n??/

Verb

opening

1. present participle of open

Derived terms

• eye-opening (adjective)

Noun

opening (plural openings)

1. An act or instance of making or becoming open.

   The daily openings of the day lily bloom gives it its name.

   He remembered fondly the Christmas morning opening of presents.

2. Something that is open.

   A salamander darted out of an opening in the rocks.

   He slipped through an opening in the crowd.

3. An act or instance of beginning.

   There have been few factory and store openings in the US lately.

   Their opening of the concert with Brass in Pocket always fires up the crowd.

4. Something that is a beginning.
   1. The first performance of a show or play by a particular troupe.

      They were disappointed at the turnout for their opening, but hoped that word would spread.

   2. The initial period a show at an art gallery or museum is first opened, especially the first evening.
   3. The first few measures of a musical composition.
   4. (chess) The first few moves in a game of chess.

      John spends two hours a day studying openings, and another two hours studying endgames.

5. A vacant position, especially in an array.

   Are there likely to be any openings on the Supreme Court in the next four years?

   1. A time available in a schedule.

      If you'd like to make a booking with us, we have an opening at twelve o'clock.

      The only two-hour openings for the hockey rink are between 1AM and 5AM.

   2. An unoccupied employment position.

      We have an opening in our marketing department.

6. An opportunity, as in a competitive activity.
7. (mathematics) In mathematical morphology, the dilation of the erosion of a set.

Synonyms

• (something that is open): hole, gap, crevice; see also Thesaurus:hole or Thesaurus:interspace
• (available time): availability, slot
• (unoccupied employment position): job opening

Coordinate terms

• (opening of an art show): vernissage

Descendants

• ? Japanese: ?????? (?puningu)

Translations

Adjective

opening (not comparable)

1. Pertaining to the start or beginning of a series of events.

   The opening theme of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is, perhaps, the most recognizable in all of European art music.

   The opening act of the battle for Fort Sumter was the firing of a single 10-inch mortar round from Fort Johnson at 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, by Lt. Henry S. Farley, who acted upon the command of Capt. George S. James, which round exploded over Fort Sumter as a signal to open the general bombardment from 43 guns and mortars at Fort Moultrie, Fort Johnson, the floating battery, and Cummings Point.

2. (cricket) describing the first period of play, usually up to the fall of the first wicket; describing a batsman who opens the innings or a bowler who opens the attack

Derived terms

References

• “opening”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
• “opening” in the Collins English Dictionary
• “opening” in the Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Dutch

Etymology

From openen +? -ing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?o?p?n??/

Noun

opening f (plural openingen, diminutive openinkje n)

1. opening, gap
2. the act or process of being opened

Spanish

Noun

opening m (plural openings)

1. opening sequence; title sequence

English

Alternative forms

• begynnynge (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• enPR: b?g?'n?ng, IPA^(key): /b????.n??/

Etymology 1

From Middle English biginning, beginninge, beginnunge, equivalent to begin +? -ing.

Noun

beginning (countable and uncountable, plural beginnings)

1. (uncountable) The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or states.
2. That which is begun; a rudiment or element.
3. That which begins or originates something; the source or first cause.

   What was the beginning of the dispute?

4. The initial portion of some extended thing.

   The author describes the main character's youth at the beginning of the story.

   That house is at the beginning of the street.

   • 1975, Frances Keinzley, The Cottage at Chapelyard, page 179,

     "Is anything the matter?" Lady Lindstrom asked anxiously.

     "No," Megan told her. "I'm merely trying to decide where the beginning is."

     "Perhaps at the beginning," the Chief Constable prompted, rather stupidly, Megan thought.

     "Which beginning?" she asked.

Usage notes

"In the beginning" is an idiomatic expression that means "at first, initially"; it does not mean the same as "at the beginning".

The meaning of "at the beginning" is clear from its parts. This expression is used to refer to the time when or place where something starts; it is used to refer to points in time and space and also to fairly long periods of time and fairly large extents of space. ("At the beginning of the story" can be used to refer to both the first few sentences and to the first chapter or chapters. "At the beginning of the trail" can be used to refer to both the first few meters and the first part of a trail, which can be quite substantial, even a fifth or fourth or more.)

The originally rare and traditionally deprecated usage of "in the beginning of" (instead of "at the beginning of") has become more common but is still ignored by most dictionaries and other authorities or labeled as unidiomatic or incorrect. Interestingly, there is only rarely confusion between the parallel expressions "in the end" and "at the end (of)".

Synonyms

• (act of doing that which begins anything): commencing, start, starting
• (that which is begun; rudiment or element): element, embryo, rudiment
• (that which begins or originates something): origin, source, start, commencement
• (initial portion of some extended thing): head, start

Antonyms

• (act of doing that which begins anything): conclusion, end

Derived terms

• a good beginning makes a good ending
• beginning of day
• in the beginning

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English begynnyng, bygynnynge, From Old English *beginnende (attested only as Old English onginnende), from Proto-Germanic *biginnandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *biginnan? (“to begin”), equivalent to begin +? -ing.

Verb

beginning

1. present participle of begin

Adjective

beginning (not comparable)

1. (informal) Of or relating to the first portion of some extended thing.

   in the beginning paragraph of the chapter

   in the beginning section of the course

Translations

Synonyms

• first
• initial