oscitant

English

Etymology

From Latin ōscitāns, present participle of ōscitō. Compare French oscitant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɒsɪtənt/

Adjective

oscitant (comparative more oscitant, superlative most oscitant)

1. yawning; gaping
2. sleepy; drowsy; sluggish; careless
   • a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number). Keep thy Heart with all diligence”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC:

     He must not be oscitant, but intent on his charge.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “oscitant”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)

Anagrams

• Scottian, actinost, tactions

Latin

Verb

ōscitant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of ōscitō