Added 10 October 2026
yawn
/jɔːn/ verb
In Latin: oscitō, hiō Wiktionary
verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about yawn at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
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.
- To say while yawning.
-
To present a wide opening; gape.
The canyon yawns as it has done for millions of years, and we stand looking, dumbstruck.
noun
Origin
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”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)