sigh

 
Pronunciation: /sʌɪ/

verb

[no object]
  • emit a long, deep audible breath expressing sadness, relief, tiredness, or similar: Harry sank into a chair and sighed with relief
  • (of the wind or something through which the wind blows) make a sound resembling a sigh: a breeze made the treetops sigh
  • (sigh for) literary feel a deep yearning for (someone or something lost, unattainable, or distant): he sighed for days gone by

noun

  • a long, deep audible exhalation expressing sadness, relief, tiredness, or similar: she let out a long sigh of despair figurative the councils heaved a sigh of relief when they saved over £6m between them
  • a gentle sound resembling a sigh, especially one made by the wind: except for the sigh of the wind, it was very quiet

Origin:

Middle English (as a verb): probably a back-formation from sighte, past tense of siche, sike, from Old English sīcan