yawn

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To open your mouth wide and breathe in deeply, usually when tired or bored.

   I could see my students yawning, so I knew the lesson was boring them.

2. 2
   noun

   The act of opening your mouth wide and breathing in deeply when tired or bored.

   She gave a great yawn and decided it was time for bed.

3. 3
   noun

   Something very boring.

   The slideshow we sat through was such a yawn.

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”),…

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