OSCITANCY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does oscitancy mean? 

• OSCITANCY (noun)
  The noun OSCITANCY has 2 senses:

1. drowsiness and dullness manifested by yawning

2. an involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom

  Familiarity information: OSCITANCY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OSCITANCY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Drowsiness and dullness manifested by yawning

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

oscitance; oscitancy

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

oscitance; oscitancy; yawn; yawning

Context example:

he apologized for his oscitancy

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)