
[Middle English sighen, probably back-formation from sighte, past tense of siken, to sigh, from Old English sīcan.]
sigher sigh'er n.
verb
noun
Complementary breathing cycles characterized by a quick, deep inspiration followed by a slower expiration; probably a compensatory mechanism to counter poor ventilation.
An audible and prolonged inspiration followed by a shortened expiration.
A sigh is a kind of paralinguistic respiration in the form of a deep and especially audible, single exhalation of air out of the mouth or nose, that humans use to communicate emotion. It is voiced pharyngeal fricative, sometimes associated with a guttural glottal breath exuded in a low tone. It often arises from a negative emotion, such as dismay, dissatisfaction, boredom, or futility.[1] A sigh can also arise from positive emotions such as relief,[2] particularly in response to some negative situation ending or being avoided. Like a gasp, a yawn, or a moan, a sigh is often an automatic and unintentional act.[1] In literature, a sigh is often used to signify that the person producing it is lovelorn.
Scientific studies show that babies sigh after 50 to 100 breaths. This serves to improve the mechanical properties of lung tissue, and it also helps babies to develop a regular breathing rhythm. Behaviors equivalent to sighing have also been observed in animals such as dogs, monkeys, and horses.
In text messages and internet chat rooms, or in comic books, a sigh is usually represented with the word itself, 'sigh', possibly within asterisks, *sigh*.
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Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - sukke, suse dæmpet
v. tr. - sukke
n. - suk, sukken
idioms:
Nederlands (Dutch)
zucht, verzuchting, zuchten, verzuchten
Français (French)
v. intr. - soupirer
v. tr. - soupirer, regretter (qch), se lamenter sur (qch), gémir, bruisser
n. - soupir
idioms:
Deutsch (German)
n. - Seufzer
v. - seufzen
idioms:
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ανα)στεναγμός
v. - (ανα)στενάζω
idioms:
Italiano (Italian)
sospirare, sospiro
idioms:
Português (Portuguese)
n. - suspiro (m)
v. - suspirar
idioms:
Русский (Russian)
вздох, дуновение, вздыхать
idioms:
Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - suspirar, gemir
v. tr. - decir suspirando, lamentar
n. - suspiro
idioms:
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - suck
v. - sucka, susa, tråna, längta, sukta, sucka fram
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
叹息, 叹气, 叹息着说, 叹息声
idioms:
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 歎息, 歎氣
v. tr. - 歎息著說
n. - 歎息, 歎息聲
idioms:
한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 한숨 쉬다, (바람이) 살랑거리다, 그리워하다
v. tr. - ~을 비탄하다, 한숨 지며 말하다
n. - 한숨 , 탄식, (바람이) 산들거리는 소리
idioms:
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ため息, 吐息, 嘆息
v. - ため息をつく, 嘆く, ため息まじりに言う, 嘆息して過ごす
idioms:
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) تنهد, تلهف (فعل) يتنهد, يتحسر على, يتلهف
עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - נאנח, יילל
v. tr. - נאנח, יילל
n. - אנחה
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