Yawning

Yawning
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}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To open the mouth involuntarily through drowsiness, dullness, or fatigue; to gape; to oscitate. ``The lazy, yawning drone.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

And while above he spends his breath, The yawning audience nod beneath. --Trumbull. [1913 Webster]

2. To open wide; to gape, as if to allow the entrance or exit of anything. [1913 Webster]

't is now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. To open the mouth, or to gape, through surprise or bewilderment. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • yawning — yawning; yawning·ly; …   English syllables

  • yawning — index open (unclosed), penetrable Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • yawning — I noun 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 oscitancy • Syn: ↑yawn,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • yawning — adjective Date: before 12th century 1. wide open ; cavernous < a yawning hole > < yawning gaps in the plot > 2. showing fatigue or boredom by yawns < a yawning audience > • yawningly adverb …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • yawning — yawningly, adv. /yaw ning/, adj. 1. being or standing wide open; gaping: the yawning mouth of a cave. 2. indicating by yawns one s weariness or indifference: The lecturer was oblivious to his yawning audience. [bef. 900; ME; OE geniendum. See… …   Universalium

  • yawning — 1. noun The action of the verb yawn. 2. adjective a) That yawns or yawn. yawning commuters b) Wide open. a yawning chasm …   Wiktionary

  • Yawning — The involuntary opening of the mouth with respiration, breathing first inward, then outward. Yawning is often caused by suggestion. Repeated yawning is commonly a sign of drowsiness. It can also sometimes be a sign of depression. * * * The act of …   Medical dictionary

  • yawning —    In folklore, a means by which DEMONs can enter the body, and the soul can escape. The custom of covering the mouth while yawning has nothing to do with politeness, but with preventing demonic entry and soul loss. In colonial America, it was… …   Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology

  • yawning — adj. Yawning is used with these nouns: ↑chasm, ↑gap, ↑gulf, ↑hole …   Collocations dictionary

  • yawning — adjective a yawning hole where the door once was Syn: gaping, wide open, wide, cavernous, deep; huge, great, big …   Thesaurus of popular words

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