vigil

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noun vig·il \ˈvi-jəl\

Simple Definition of vigil

: an event or a period of time when a person or group stays in a place and quietly waits, prays, etc., especially at night

Source: Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary

Full Definition of vigil

1 a : a watch formerly kept on the night before a religious feast with prayer or other devotions b : the day before a religious feast observed as a day of spiritual preparation c : evening or nocturnal devotions or prayers —usually used in plural
2 : the act of keeping awake at times when sleep is customary; also : a period of wakefulness
3 : an act or period of watching or surveillance : watch <kept vigil at her bedside>

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Examples of vigil in a sentence

<kept vigil at their ailing son's bedside the entire time he was in the hospital>

Origin and Etymology of vigil

Middle English vigile, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin vigilia watch on the eve of a feast, from Latin, wakefulness, watch, from vigil awake, watchful; akin to Latin vigēre to be vigorous, vegēre to enliven — more at wake

First Known Use: 13th century