VIGIL

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does vigil mean? 

• VIGIL (noun)
  The noun VIGIL has 3 senses:

1. a period of sleeplessness

2. the rite of staying awake for devotional purposes (especially on the eve of a religious festival)

3. a purposeful surveillance to guard or observe

  Familiarity information: VIGIL used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• VIGIL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A period of sleeplessness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("vigil" is a kind of...):

wakefulness (a periodic state during which you are conscious and aware of the world)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The rite of staying awake for devotional purposes (especially on the eve of a religious festival)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

vigil; watch

Hypernyms ("vigil" is a kind of...):

religious rite; rite (an established ceremony prescribed by a religion)

Domain category:

faith; religion; religious belief (a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "vigil"):

viewing; wake (a vigil held over a corpse the night before burial)

agrypnia (a vigil before certain feasts (as e.g. Easter))

Sense 3

Meaning:

A purposeful surveillance to guard or observe

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

vigil; watch

Hypernyms ("vigil" is a kind of...):

surveillance (close observation of a person or group (usually by the police))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "vigil"):

continuous receiver watch; listening watch (a watch established for the reception of traffic of interest to the unit maintaining the watch)

spying (keeping a secret or furtive watch)

 Context examples 

How shall I ever forget that dreadful vigil?

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It proved, however, that our vigil was not to be so long as Holmes had led us to fear, and it ended in a very sudden and singular fashion.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The night was fine, but still it was a very weary vigil.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I was firm, however, and made preparations for my long vigil.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

"Jane, Jane," said he, stopping before me, "you are quite pale with your vigils: don't you curse me for disturbing your rest?"

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

On another night, his vigil was rewarded by a glimpse of Ruth through a second-story window.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Once again he took to wandering in the woods, but the wild brother came no more; and though he listened through long vigils, the mournful howl was never raised.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Never had the sun risen so beautifully, and never had the world seemed so lovely as it did to the heavy eyes of Meg and Jo, as they looked out in the early morning, when their long, sad vigil was done.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

A passenger sprang out of it and advanced swiftly towards him, while the chauffeur, a heavily built, elderly man with a grey moustache, settled down like one who resigns himself to a long vigil.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

So this was the explanation of the unlocked door and of the nocturnal vigil of Milverton.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)