open-border
|o-pen-bor-der|
🇺🇸
/ˈoʊpən ˈbɔrdər/
🇬🇧
/ˈəʊpən ˈbɔːdə/
border without controls
Etymology
'open-border' is a Modern English compound combining 'open' and 'border'. 'open' originates from Old English 'open' (from Proto-Germanic *upan-), meaning 'not closed, allowing passage', and 'border' originates from Old French 'bordure' (from Late Latin 'borda'), meaning 'edge' or 'rim'.
'open' was used in Old English with the sense 'not closed'; 'border' developed from Old French 'bordure' into Middle English as 'bord(e)r'. The compound 'open border' (two words) appears in modern usage and has also been written hyphenated as 'open-border' when used attributively.
Initially the components meant simply 'not closed' and 'edge/limit'; over time the compound came to denote specifically a limit between states with little or no control—i.e., a border that is effectively open.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a border between countries where movement of people (and often goods) is allowed with little or no immigration or customs control; the state or policy of having such borders.
Many activists argue that an open-border would reduce poverty and increase opportunity across regions.
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Adjective 1
describing a policy, agreement, or condition that allows free or largely unrestricted crossing of a country's border.
The two countries signed an open-border agreement to ease cross-border travel and trade.
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Last updated: 2025/10/29 08:43