pandiculate

PRONUNCIATION:
(pan-DIK-yuh-layt)

MEANING:
verb intr.: To stretch oneself.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin pandiculari (to stretch oneself), from pandere (to stretch). Earliest documented use: 1775.

NOTES:
Pandiculate is a word that sounds like a Roman senator rising from a nap. The rest of us merely stretch. In either case, it’s the body’s daily announcement: “System reboot complete.” Use this word to stretch your vocabulary without pulling a muscle.

USAGE:
“They sat up jointly, Abby pandiculating and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.”
Jay Gubula; There Are Only So Many Tomorrows; Xlibris; 2013.