drowse

 
Pronunciation: /draʊz/

verb

[no object]
  • be half asleep; doze intermittently: he was beginning to drowse in his chair
  • [with object] archaic make sleepy: any birds which the heat has not utterly drowsed
  • archaic be sluggish or inactive: let not your prudence drowse

noun

[in singular]
  • a light sleep; a condition of being half asleep: she awoke from a light drowse

Origin:

late 16th century: back-formation from drowsy