vigil
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vigil¹
- /ˈvɪd͡ʒəl/
Rhymes with -ɪdʒəl
Where it comes from
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.
noun vigils
- An instance of keeping awake during normal sleeping hours, especially to keep watch or pray. I saw her head drooped upon her hand; her whole attitude expressing that profound depression, whose lonely vigil wastes the midnight in a gloomy watch, which yet hopes for nothing at its close.
- A period of observation or surveillance at any hour. His dog kept vigil outside the hospital for eight days while he was recovering from an accident.
- The eve of a religious festival in which staying awake is part of the ritual devotions.
- A quiet demonstration in support of a cause. The protesters kept vigil outside the conference centre in which the party congress was being held.
verb vigils · vigiling · vigilling · vigiled · vigilled
- To participate in a vigil. As the arrested painters and their supporters waited out their "day in court," other activists distributed Hiroshima information leaflets, vigiled silently with placards and banners, and marched 500-strong through downtown Boston to a rally at City Hall Plaza.
Vigil²
proper noun
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: watch, vigilance, alertness, viewing, wake, surveillance, monitoring, guard, oversight, prayer, verge, funeral, night, candlelight, candle, eve
Translations
Every language
noun keeping awake
| Español | vigilia |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 밤샘 bamsaem, 밤새움 bamsae'um |
| 日本語 | 徹夜 tetsuya, 寝ずの番 nezu no ban |
| 中文 | 值夜 zhíyè |
| Português | vigília |
| Français | veille |
| Deutsch | Wache, Nachtwache |
| Italiano | veglia |
| Ελληνικά | αγρυπνία agrypnía |
| Română | veghe, gardă |
| Русский | бде́ние bdénije |
noun period of observation or surveillance
| 日本語 | 見張り mihari, 警戒 keikai |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 警戒 jǐngjiè |
| Português | vigia |
| Deutsch | Wache, Vigil |
| Ελληνικά | επαγρύπνηση epagrýpnisi |
| Română | așteptare, observare |
noun eve of a religious festival
| Español | vigilia, víspera |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 守夜祈禱 /守夜祈祷 shǒuyè qídǎo |
| Português | vigília |
| Deutsch | Vigil, Nachtwache |
| Ελληνικά | ολονυκτία olonyktía |
noun quiet demonstration
| Français | veillée |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Mahnwache |
| Русский | пикети́рование piketírovanije |
| العربية | اِعْتِصام iʕtiṣām |
Talk about this word "vigil." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/vigil. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. vigil. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/vigil "vigil." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/vigil.Cite this
@misc{vigil_2026,
title = {vigil},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/vigil},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
