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Yawning - Dictionary Definition and Overview |
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Yawning : adj
1: gaping open as if threatening to engulf someone or
something; "the yawning mine shaft"; "a yawning abyss"
2: with the mouth wide open indicating boredom or sleepiness;
"a yawning congregation"
3: showing lack of attention or boredom; "the yawning
congregation" [syn: drowsy, oscitant, yawning(a)]
(noun)
1: an involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth;
usually triggered by fatigue or boredom; "he could not
suppress a yawn"; "the yawning in the audience told him
it was time to stop"; "he apologized for his ostinancy"
[syn: yawn, oscitance, oscitancy]
Based on WordNet 2.0
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Yawn \Yawn\ (y[add]n), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Yawned; p. pr. &
vb. n. Yawning.] [OE. yanien, [yogh]anien, ganien, gonien,
AS. g[=a]nian; akin to ginian to yawn, g[=i]nan to yawn, open
wide, G. g["a]hnen to yawn, OHG. gin[=e]n, gein[=o]n, Icel.
g[=i]na to yawn, gin the mouth, OSlav. zijati to yawn, L.
hiare to gape, yawn; and perhaps to E. begin, cf. Gr. cheia`
a hole. [root]47b. Cf. Begin, Gin to begin, Hiatus.]
1. To open the mouth involuntarily through drowsiness,
dullness, or fatigue; to gape; to oscitate. ``The lazy,
Yawning : drone.'' --Shak.
And while above he spends his breath, The yawning
audience nod beneath. --Trumbull.
2. To open wide; to gape, as if to allow the entrance or exit
of anything.
't is now the very witching time of night, When
churchyards yawn. --Shak.
3. To open the mouth, or to gape, through surprise or
bewilderment. --Shak.
4. To be eager; to desire to swallow anything; to express
desire by yawning; as, to yawn for fat livings. ``One
long, yawning gaze.'' --Landor.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
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Yawning : Yawning: Involuntary opening of the mouth with respiration, breathing first inward, then outward. Yawning is often caused by the power of suggestion. Repeated yawning may be a sign of
drowsiness. It can also sometimes be a sign of depression .
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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