Oscitated

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A state characterized by a gentle swaying motion or light sleepiness occurs due to tiredness or lack of stimulation
2. To open the mouth involuntarily because of tiredness or lack of interest
3. To exhibit a reflex jaw opening often associated with sleepiness or fatigue

Etymology: "Oscitated" is the past form of "oscitate," a verb meaning to yawn. The verb was borrowed in 1623 from Latin "oscitatus," the past participle of "oscitare," which combines "os," meaning "mouth," with "citare," meaning "to move" or "to rouse." The Latin image is literal: the mouth is set moving, the jaws pulled apart by weariness or boredom. The Latin verb itself is a compound, and its "-ate" ending is the ordinary Latin verb-forming suffix that English later adopted in countless words. Because it arrived in English as a scholarly borrowing rather than through everyday speech, it stayed a rare, learned synonym for yawning, the sort of word a writer reaches for when plain "yawned" feels too blunt.

Synonyms: drowsy, sleepy, dozing, nodding, slumbering

Antonyms: alert, awake, attentive, vigilant, aware