sigh

B1 Topic:Senses & Perception

US /saɪ/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like shy /s/ vs /ʃ/ Sounds like thigh /θ/ vs /s/

Freq #5447

Meanings

1

verb
To breathe out slowly and loudly, often to show tiredness, sadness, or relief.

When she saw it wasn't damaged, she sighed with relief.
2

noun
A slow, loud breath out that shows a feeling such as tiredness or relief.

She gave a deep sigh and sat down.
3

verb
Of the wind, to make a soft sound like a sigh.

The wind sighed gently in the trees.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms sighedsighingsighs

Derived forms besighoutsighsighersighfulsighlesssighlikeyawn-sigh

Etymology

From Middle English sighen (“to sigh”), back-formation from sighte, past tense form of siken, from Old English sīcan, from Proto-West Germanic *sīkan, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seykʷ- (“to pour out”).

sighen Middle English sīcan Old English *sīkan Proto-West Germanic *seykʷ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

External links

# sigh

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /saɪ/
**Frequency rank:** 5447

## Meanings
1. To breathe out slowly and loudly, often to show tiredness, sadness, or relief.
2. A slow, loud breath out that shows a feeling such as tiredness or relief.
3. Of the wind, to make a soft sound like a sigh.

## Examples
- When she saw it wasn't damaged, she sighed with relief.
- She gave a deep sigh and sat down.
- The wind sighed gently in the trees.

## Derived Forms
- besigh
- outsigh
- sigher
- sighful
- sighless
- sighlike
- yawn-sigh

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: sighen
- Root: sīcan
- Root: *sīkan
- Root: *seykʷ-

## Etymology
From Middle English sighen (“to sigh”), back-formation from sighte, past tense form of siken, from Old English sīcan, from Proto-West Germanic *sīkan, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seykʷ- (“to pour out”).

## AI Etymology
Sigh is from Middle English sighen (“to sigh”), back-formation from sighte, past tense form of siken, from Old English sīcan, from Proto-West Germanic *sīkan, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seykʷ- (“to pour out”). Important forms in the word's history include Middle English sighen, Old English sīcan, Proto-West Germanic *sīkan, Proto-Indo-European *seykʷ-. In current use it includes senses such as To breathe out slowly and loudly, often to show tiredness, sadness, or relief and A slow, loud breath out that shows a feeling such as tiredness or relief.

## Topics
- Senses & Perception

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sigh

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