An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/gähnen

by Friedrich Kluge

gähnen, vb., ‘to yawn, gape,’ from the equiv. MidHG. ginen (genen, geinen), OHG. ginên (geinôn); ModHG. ae for ĕ. Goth. *gi- nai-, from the root gī̆, ‘to gape’; comp. AS. ginian, gânian, ‘to gape.’ OIc. and AS. possess a str. vb. formed from the root gī̆, and n orig. a suffix of the present stem — OIc. gína, AS. tôgînan, ‘to bark’; comp. also OIc. gin, n., ‘jaw of animals.’ OHG. gîên, ‘to gape,’ is formed without the suffix n; so too with a derivative w, OHG. giwên, gëwôn, MidHG. giwen, gëwen, ‘to open the mouth wide.’ The Teut. root gī̆, from pre-Teut. ghī̆, is widely diffused, especially in West Teut. Comp. Lat. hiare (for Lat. h, representing Teut. g, see Gerste and Gast), OSlov. zijati, ‘to gape, bark,’ Lith. żióti, ‘tó ‘to open the mouth wide’; OIr. gin, ‘mouth’ (OIc. gin); Lat. hisco; Gr. χειά, ‘hole,’ for χειϝά?.