What is "yawn"

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.

Yawn \Yawn\, n.

1. An involuntary act, excited by drowsiness, etc., consisting of a deep and long inspiration following several successive attempts at inspiration, the mouth, fauces, etc., being wide open.

   One person yawning in company will produce a spontaneous yawn in all present.
   --N. Chipman.

2. The act of opening wide, or of gaping.
   --Addison.

3. A chasm, mouth, or passageway. [R.]

   Now gape the graves, and trough their yawns let loose Imprisoned spirits.
   --Marston.

c.1300, yenen, yonen, from Old English ginian, gionian "open the mouth wide, yawn, gape," from Proto-Germanic *gin- (cognates: Old Norse gina "to yawn," Dutch geeuwen, Old High German ginen, German gähnen "to yawn"), from PIE *ghai- "to yawn, gape" (cognates: Old Church Slavonic zijajo "to gape," Lithuanian žioju, Czech zivati "to yawn," Greek khainein, Latin hiare "to yawn, gape," Sanskrit vijihite "to gape, be ajar"). Modern spelling is from 16c. Related: Yawned; yawning.

"act of yawning," 1690s, from yawn (v.). Meaning "boring thing" is attested from 1889.

n. 1 The action of #Verb; opening the mouth widely and taking a long, rather deep breath, often because one is tired. 2 A particularly boring event. vb. 1 To open the mouth widely and take a long, rather deep breath, often because one is tired and sometimes accompanied by pandiculation. 2 To present a wide opening. 3 To open the mouth, or to gape, through surprise or bewilderment. 4 To be eager; to desire to swallow anything; to express desire by yawning.

1. n. 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: yawning, oscitance, oscitancy]

2. v. utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired; "The child yawned during the long performance"

3. be wide open; "the deep gaping canyon" [syn: gape, yaw]

A yawn is a reflex consisting of the simultaneous inhalation of air and the stretching of the eardrums, followed by an exhalation of breath.

Yawning (oscitation) most often occurs in adults immediately before and after sleep, during tedious activities and as a result of its contagious quality. It is commonly associated with tiredness, stress, sleepiness, or even boredom and hunger, though studies show it may be linked to the cooling of the brain. In humans, yawning is often triggered by others yawning (e.g., seeing a person yawning, talking to someone on the phone who is yawning) and is a typical example of positive feedback. This "contagious" yawning has also been observed in chimpanzees, dogs, and can occur across species. Approximately 20 physiological reasons for yawning have been proposed by scholars, but there is little agreement about its main functions.