oscitancy

n., pl., -cies.

1. The act of yawning.
2. The state of being drowsy or inattentive; dullness.

[From oscitant, yawning, from Latin ōscitāns, ōscitant-, present participle of ōscitāre, to yawn : ōs, mouth + citāre, to move.]

oscitant os'ci·tant adj.

(OS-i-tant)

adjective
1. Yawning, gaping from drowsiness.
2. Inattentive, dull, negligent.

Etymology
From Latin oscitant, stem of oscitans, present participle of oscitare (to yawn), from os (mouth) + citare (to move)

Usage
"Southey, who has been my corrector, has been strangely oscitant, or, which I believe is sometimes the case, has not understood the sentences." — Letters of Samuel Taylor Coleridge; Kessinger Publishing; 2005.

---

/OS i tan see/  1) the act of yawning  2) the state of being drowsy or inattentive; dullness

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: drowsiness and dullness manifested by yawning
  Synonym: oscitance

Meaning #2: an involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom
  Synonyms: yawn, yawning, oscitance

---