Oscitates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To open the mouth wide and inhale deeply due to tiredness or boredom
2. To involuntarily stretch the jaw and breathe in, often signaling fatigue
3. To take a deep, involuntary breath through the mouth accompanied by a stretching of the facial muscles

Etymology: "Oscitates" is the third-person singular form of "oscitate", meaning to yawn, usually from tiredness or boredom. The verb "oscitate" was first recorded in English in 1623 and was borrowed from Latin "ōscitātus", the past participle of "ōscitō". That Latin verb is built from "ōs", meaning "the mouth", and "citō", meaning "to cause to move", with the English "-ate" verb ending added on. Put together, the image is of the jaws being set in motion, which is exactly what a yawn does. The word belongs to a small group of formal English terms that describe bodily actions with Latin building blocks.

Synonyms: vibrates, oscillates