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sigh

(sī)

v. sighed, sigh·ing, sighs

v.intr.

a. To exhale audibly in a long deep breath, as in weariness or relief.

b. To emit a similar sound: willows sighing in the wind.

2. To feel longing or grief; yearn: sighing for their lost youth.

v.tr.

1. To express with or as if with an audible exhalation.

2. Archaic To lament.

The act or sound of sighing.

[Middle English sighen, probably back-formation from sighte, past tense of siken, to sigh, from Old English sīcan.]

sigher n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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