Other forms: reopened, reopening, reopens
To reopen is to open again after being closed. The shop reopened, reopen the case, reopening in spring.
Of a place it is literal. Of an investigation or a wound it means going back into something that had been settled, which is why reopening a case needs new evidence and reopening an old argument is a warning. Note that the stress is on the second syllable, and that reopen keeps both its vowels without a hyphen.
1verbreopenTo open again after being closed.
“The museum will reopen next month after major repairs.”
2verbsettledTo go back into something settled.
“I don't want to reopen an old argument, but you did promise to help.”
reopen is an opening again.
Middle English
open
English
open
English, today
reopen
From re- + open. open comes from Middle English open. Adjective from Middle English open, from Old English open (“open”), from Proto-West Germanic opan, from Proto-Germanic upanaz (“open”), from Proto-Indo-European upo (“up from under, over”). 2
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA