Openers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or thing that initiates a process or event
2. A tool or mechanism for creating an opening, especially in a container
3. A conversational starter used to engage others in dialogue or introduce a topic

Etymology: "Openers" is simply the plural of "opener", a word that has been part of English since Old English, when it appeared as "openere", formed from "open" plus the agent suffix "-er", which turns a verb or adjective into a noun for someone or something that does the action. The same ending gives us "baker" and "singer", so the word literally means "one who opens" or "thing that opens". Middle English later reshaped it into "oppinnare" and "opynnare", and the modern spelling settled in as the older forms wore down. Because "opener" also developed the sense of a first item in a series, such as the opening act of a show or a first move in a game, the plural "openers" is often used in that broader sense, for things that start something rather than only things that physically open.

Synonyms: beginnings, introductions, preludes

Antonyms: closers, endings