vigilance
n.the act of staying very careful and alert to find possible danger or trouble. You use this when someone needs to keep a close watch on a situation.
n.the state or quality of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties. Often associated with security, health monitoring, or civic duty.
“The security guard maintained constant vigilance throughout the night.”
“Public health officials urged continued vigilance as the flu season approached to prevent a major outbreak.”
“The price of liberty is eternal vigilance, requiring citizens to remain active and informed about the shifting policies of their governing bodies.”
Uncountable in its abstract sense; frequently paired with the verbs 'maintain', 'exercise', or 'require'.
“Letters have been sent to all airport workers to raise awareness about symptoms and urge vigilance.”
“The cost of missing a real threat was death, while the cost of overreacting was a few minutes of wasted vigilance.”
Borrowed from Middle French vigilance, from Latin vigilantia.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.