oscitancy. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

oscitancy

SYLLABICATION:	os·ci·tan·cy
PRONUNCIATION:	s-tn-s
NOUN:	Inflected forms: pl. os·ci·tan·cies 1. The act of yawning. 2. The state of being drowsy or inattentive; dullness.
ETYMOLOGY:	From oscitant, yawning, from Latin scitns, scitant-, present participle of scitre, to yawn : s, mouth; see s- in Appendix I + citre, to move; see kei-² in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:	osci·tant —ADJECTIVE


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.