| Library / English Dictionary |
OSCITANCY
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
An involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom
Example:
he apologized for his oscitancy
Synonyms:
oscitance; oscitancy; yawn; yawning
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("oscitancy" is a kind of...):
inborn reflex; innate reflex; instinctive reflex; physiological reaction; reflex; reflex action; reflex response; unconditioned reflex (an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "oscitancy"):
pandiculation (yawning and stretching (as when first waking up))
Derivation:
oscitant (showing lack of attention or boredom)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Drowsiness and dullness manifested by yawning
Synonyms:
oscitance; oscitancy
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("oscitancy" is a kind of...):
dullness; obtuseness (the quality of being slow to understand)
drowsiness; sleepiness; somnolence (a very sleepy state)
Derivation:
oscitant (showing lack of attention or boredom)
