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The act of watching; forbearance of sleep; vigil; wakeful, vigilant, or constantly observant attention; close observation; guard; preservative or preventive vigilance; formerly, a watching or guarding by night. Shepherds keeping watch by night. Milton. All the long night their mournful watch they keep. Addison.…

A religious meeting held in the closing hours of the year.

A dog kept to watch and guard premises or property, and to give notice of the approach of intruders.

One who watches; one who sits up or continues; a diligent observer; specifically, one who attends upon the sick during the night.

The leaves of Sarace. See Trumpets.

Pale or light blue. [Obs.] "Watchet mantles." Spenser. Who stares in Germany at watchet eyes Dryden.

Full of watch; vigilant; attentive; careful to observe closely; observant; cautious; -- with of before the thing to be regulated or guarded; as, to be watchful of one's behavior; and with against before the thing to be avoided; as, to be watchful against the growth of vicious habits. "Many a watchful night." Shak. "Hap…

A house in which a watch or guard is placed.

One whose occupation is to make and repair watches.

One set to watch; a person who keeps guard; a guard; a sentinel.

A tower in which a sentinel is placed to watch for enemies, the approach of danger, or the like.

signal by which a friend is known from an enemy, or a person who has a right to pass the watch from one who has not; a countersign; a password.

A detail of one or more men who keep watch on deck at night when a vessel is at anchor.

ainter sound; -- called also deathtick. She is always seeing apparitions and hearing deathwatches. Addison. I did not hear the dog howl, mother, or the deathwatch beat. Tennyson.

A half watch; a watch of two hours, of which there are two, the first dogwatch from 4 to 6 o'clock, p.m., and the second dogwatch from 6 to 8 o'clock, P. M. Totten.

To exceed in watching.

To watch too much.

A swath. [Obs.] Tusser.

To wait for; to be prepared for; to await; to watch for; as, I abide my time. "I will abide the coming of my lord." Tennyson.

Continuous growth; an accretion. [R.] The silent accrescence of belief from the unwatched depositions of a general, never contradicted hearsy. Coleridge.