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The office, duty, or care, of a guardian; protection; care; watch.

, fees paid for the use of a harbor. -- Harbor seal (Zoöl.), the common seal. -- Harbor watch, a watch set when a vessel is in port; an anchor watch.

One of the Moravians; -- so called from the settlement of Herrnhut (the Lord's watch) made, about 1722, by the Moravians at the invitation of Nicholas Lewis, count of Zinzendorf, upon his estate in the circle of Bautzen.

The art of constructing instruments for making the hours, as clocks, watches, and dials.

An instrument indicating the time of day; a timepiece of any kind; a watch, clock, or dial. Shak.

A maker or vender of clocks and watches; one skilled in horology.

A maker of clocks, watches, or dials.

art of constructing instruments for measuring and indicating portions of time, as clocks, watches, dials, etc.

To hang about; to move to and fro near a place, threateningly, watchfully, or irresolutely. Agricola having sent his navy to hover on the coast. Milton. Hovering o'er the paper with her quill. Shak.

A hunting watch, or one of which the crystal is protected by a metallic cover. Hunter's room, the lunation after the harvest moon. -- Hunter's screw (Mech.), a differential screw, so named from the inventor. See under Differential.

spider which hunts its prey, instead of catching it in a web; a wolf spider. -- Hunting watch. See Hunter, 6.

One who has constant day duties on board ship, and keeps no regular watch. Totten.

he future; negligent; thoughtless; as, an improvident man. Improvident soldires! had your watch been good, This sudden mischief never could have fallen. Shak.

A small distance or degree, whether or time Beldame, I think we watched you at an inch. Shak. By inches, by slow degrees, gradually. -- Inch of candle. See under Candle. -- Inches of pressure, usually, the pressure indicated by so many inches of a mercury column, as on a steam gauge. -- Inch of water. See under Wate…

Independent company (Mil.), one not incorporated in any regiment. -- Independent seconds watch, a stop watch having a second hand driven by a separate set of wheels, springs, etc., for timing to a fraction of a second. -- Independent variable. (Math.) See Dependent variable, under Dependent.

out, informs, or directs; a pointer or a hand that directs to anything, as the hand of a watch, a movable finger on a gauge, scale, or other graduated instrument. In printing, a sign [*] used to direct particular attention to a note or paragraph; -- called also fist.

Lying in wait; watching an opportunity to insnare or entrap; deceitful; sly; treacherous; -- said of persons; as, the insidious foe. "The insidious witch." Cowper.

To thrust; to intrude; to between, either for aid or for troubling. What watchful cares do interpose themselves Betwixt your eyes and night Shak. The common Father of mankind seasonably interposed his hand, and rescues miserable man. Woodward.

ones. At intervals, coming or happening with intervals between; now and then. "And Miriam watch'd and dozed at intervals." Tennyson. -- Augmented interval (Mus.), an interval increased by half a step or half a tone.

Want of vigilance; neglect of watching; carelessness.