open system

noun

, Thermodynamics.

1. a region separated from its surroundings by a boundary that admits a transfer of matter or energy across it.

open system

noun

1. computing an operating system that is not specific to a particular supplier, but conforms to more widely compatible standards

open system

1. A physical system that interacts with other systems. The physical description of an open system can appear to violate conservation laws; for example, in a good description of the mechanism of energy transfer in a car engine (gears, driveshaft, and so on), energy will appear to be lost from the system over time, despite the law of conservation of energy. This is because the system is open, losing energy (in the form of heat) to surrounding systems (through friction). A system that loses energy in this way also called a dissipative system.
2. Compare closed system

Word History and Origins

Origin of open system¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

These companies are stepping back from open systems because it works, and security experts know it.

From MIT Technology Review

It has been said that logistics is the true strength of any modern military, and designing open systems is a tremendous force multiplier.

From Ars Technica

The Web was designed to be an open system, no spying or data gathering allowed.

From The Daily Beast

The former is part of our open system of checks and balances and can be challenged in the courts.

From The Daily Beast

May said he and other Republicans there “did a lot of hard work with trying to come up with a fair and open system.”

From The Daily Beast

It's a relatively open system, onto which I can install any program, get to any content, and even change how it works.

From The Daily Beast

The complications of the open system with its endless quarrels and lawsuits were avoided.

From Project Gutenberg

On the other hand, we have the fact that during the War of American Independence the open system was not very successful.

From Project Gutenberg

The intelligent saw in the open system of the Jacobins the complete hidden system of the Illuminati.

From Project Gutenberg

This sort of a circulatory system in which the blood in places is not enclosed in a definite vessel is known as an open system.

From Project Gutenberg