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vigil

Pronunciation: /ˈvɪd͡ʒəl/

The English word “vigil” has 5 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. An instance of keeping awake during normal sleeping hours, especially to keep watch or pray.
  2. A period of observation or surveillance at any hour.
  3. The eve of a religious festival in which staying awake is part of the ritual devotions.
  4. A quiet demonstration in support of a cause.

verb

  1. To participate in a vigil.

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.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.