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Origin and history of yawn

yawn(v.)

c. 1300, yenen, yonen, "open the mouth wide," from Old English ginian, gionian, from Proto-Germanic *gin-, which is reconstructed to be from PIE root *ghieh- "to yawn, gape, be wide open."

Especially by mid-15c. as "open the mouth involuntarily through drowsiness or boredom." Formerly also to gape with wonder, surprise, etc. Modern spelling is from 16c. Related: Yawned; yawning; yawningly.

The Proto-Germanic word also is reconstructed to be the source of Old English giwian, giowian, giwan "to request," Old Norse gina "to yawn," Dutch geeuwen, Old High German ginen "be wide open," German gähnen "to yawn."

also from c. 1300

yawn(n.)

"act of gaping or opening wide," 1690s, from yawn (v.). As "opening, chasm, something that yawns," c. 1600. The colloquial meaning "boring thing" is attested from 1889.

also from 1690s

Entries linking to yawn

dehiscence(n.)

"a gaping," in botany, "the discharge of seeds or pollen," 1828, from Modern Latin dehiscentia, from dehiscentem (nominative dehiscens), present participle of dehiscere "to gape, open, split down" (of the earth, etc.), from de- (see de-) + hiscere, inchoative of hiare "to yawn" (see yawn (v.)). Related: Dehisce (1650s); dehiscent (1640s).

yawner(n.)

1680s, "one who yawns," agent noun from yawn (v.). The colloquial meaning "boring thing" is attested by 1942, American English colloquial (yawn (n.) in this sense is attested from 1889).

*ghieh-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to yawn, gape, be wide open."

It might form all or part of: chaos; chasm; dehiscence; gap; gasp; gawp; hiatus; yawn.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit vijihite "to gape, be ajar;" Greek khainein, Latin hiare "to yawn, gape;" Old Church Slavonic zinoti "to open (one's mouth);" Russian razinut', Serbo-Croatian zinuti, Lithuanian žioju, žioti, Czech zivati "to yawn;" Old English ginian, gionian "open the mouth wide, yawn, gape," Old Norse gina "to yawn," Dutch geeuwen, Old High German ginen "to be wide open," German gähnen "to yawn."