yawn
B2Meanings
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1
verb
utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired
The child yawned during the long performance
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2
verb
To open the mouth widely and take a long, rather deep breath, often because one is tired or bored, and sometimes accompanied by pandiculation.
I could see my students yawning, so I knew the lesson was boring them.
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3
verb
To say while yawning.
“I haven’t the least idea what I want to do,” he yawned.
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4
verb
To present a wide opening; gape.
The canyon yawns as it has done for millions of years, and we stand looking, dumbstruck.
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5
verb
To open the mouth, or to gape, through surprise or bewilderment.
[…] O heavy hour! Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse Of sun and moon, and that the affrighted globe Should yawn at alteration.
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6
verb
To be eager; to desire to swallow anything; to express desire by yawning.
to yawn for fat livings
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7
noun
The action of yawning; opening the mouth widely and taking a long, rather deep breath, often because one is tired or bored.
At length, quite exhausted by the attempt to be amused with her own book, which she had only chosen because it was the second volume of his, she gave a great yawn and said, “How pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way! […]”
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8
noun
A particularly boring event.
The slideshow we sat through was such a yawn. I was glad when it finished.
Etymology
Partly from Middle English yanen, yonen, yenen (“to yawn”), from Old English ġeonian, ġinian (“to yawn, gape”), from Proto-West Germanic *ginōn, from Proto-Germanic *ginōną (“to yawn”); and partly from Middle English gonen (“to gape, yawn”), from Old English gānian (“to yawn, gape”), from Proto-West Germanic *gainōn, from Proto-Germanic *gainōną (“to yawn, gape”); both from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰi-, *ǵʰeyh₁- (“to yawn, gape”). Cognate with North Frisian jåne (“to yawn”), Saterland Frisian jaanje, joanje (“to yawn”), Middle Dutch genen, ghenen (“to yawn”), German Low German jahnen (“to yawn”),…