Unclosen

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Definitions

1. To open or cause to cease being closed
2. To unfasten or undo something that was sealed or shut
3. To make something open by releasing or separating its closed parts

Etymology: The "-en" ending is the surprising part. It is a Middle English participle ending, the same one found in "broken," "shaken," and "forsaken," so "unclosen" is essentially a past participle, meaning "having been unclosed." That ending was once common on verbs and has mostly faded from everyday English, which is why this form now sounds old-fashioned. The base "unclose" combines the reversing prefix "un-," which Old English used to undo an action, with "close," a verb borrowed through Old French "clore" from Latin "claudere," meaning "to shut." Together they describe something that has been opened again after being shut.