vigil

2 entries found for vigil.
To select an entry, click on it.

vigil vigil light

Main Entry: vig·il
Pronunciation: 'vi-j&l
Function: noun
Etymology: 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 vigEre to be vigorous, vegEre to enliven -- more at WAKE
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>