Word
vigil
Phoneticsvig·il
US/ˈvɪdʒəɫ/
UK/vˈɪdʒɪl/
Definitions
01keeping watch or mourning
n. a period of staying awake at night to watch over a sick person, pray, or remember someone who has died.
n. a period of wakefulness maintained for the purpose of keeping watch, praying, or mourning, particularly during the night.
“The family kept a quiet vigil by their grandfather's bedside all through the night.”
“The community held a candlelight vigil in the town square to honour the victims of the recent tragedy.”
Formal
Synonyms
03religious eve
n. the night before a religious festival, often spent praying or staying awake.
n. the eve of a religious festival, traditionally observed with prayer and fasting.
“Many people attended the Easter vigil at the cathedral on Saturday night.”
“The liturgical calendar includes several vigils that require the faithful to remain in the chapel for midnight services.”
Formal · Technical
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“A vigil organised by group Stand Up To Racism is set to take place on Monday evening in Trafalgar Square.” “A vigil in Arday’s memory organised by the campaign group Stand Up to Racism will be held on the steps of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, central London, at 6pm on Monday.” Etymology
From Middle English vigile (“a devotional watching”), from Old French vigile, from Latin vigilia (“wakefulness, watch”), from vigil (“awake”), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- (“to be strong, lively, awake”). Doublet of Wigilia. See also wake and vigor, from the same root.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/vigil