Watch

woch, n. Act of watching; forbearance of sleep; vigil; close observation; guard; preservative or preventive vigilance formerly, a watching or guarding by night; opp. to "ward" (watching or guarding by day); one who watches, or those who watch; a sentry; guard; post or office of a watchman; place where he is posted; the period of the night in which one person, or one set of persons, stand as sentinels a division of the night a small timepiece or chronometer, to be carried in the pocket. (Naut.) An allotted portion of time, usually 4 hours, for watching, or being on dutv; that part of the cers and crew of a ve el who together attend to working her for an allotted time. — v.i. To be awake, be or continue without sleep, keep vigil; to be attentive or vigilant, be on the lookout, keep guard; to be expectant, wait, seek opportunity; to remain awake with any one as nurse or attendant. (Naut.) To float on the surface of the water, a6 a linger or ink, then. boNboN. chair, get. 688 WATER 668 buoy. — V. [WATCHED (WOCht), WATCHING.] To give heed to, keep in view, not lose from sight and observation to tend, guard, have in keeping. [AS. waecce, a watch, wacmn, to watch, wacan = E. to wake, q. v.] — Watch ana watch. An arrangement by which the watches are alternated every 4 hours. — Dog'-watch. (Naut.) A watch of 2 hours, of which there are 2, one fr. 4 to 6, the other fr. 6 to 8 p. m. — Watcb/er, n. One who watches esp.. one who attends upon the sick during the night.— Watcb/ful, -ful, a. Full of watch careful to observe; vigilant"; cautious; observant; circumspect; wakeful; heedful. — Watcb/fully, adv. — Watch'- fulne , n. State or quality of being watchful indisposition to sleep; careful and diligent observation for the purpose of preventing or escaping danger, or of avoiding mistakes and misconduct. — Watch'- man, n. pi. -men. One set to watch a sentinel one who guards the streets of a city or a building by night. —dog, n. A dog kept to guard premises or property, and to give notice of the approach of intruders. house, n. A house in which a watch or guard is placed; a police station; a place where perbons under temporary arrest by the police of a city are kept; a lock-up.—light, n. A light used for watching or sitting up in the night; esp., a candle formerly used for this purpose, having a rush wick. —night, n. The last night of the year, — observed by Wesley ans, Moravians, and others, who observe it by holding religious meetings to watch the end of the old year.— -tow'er, n. A tower on which a sentinel placed to watch for enemies or the approach of — danger, word, n. The word given to sentinels, and to such as have occasion to visit the guards, used as a signal by which a friend is known from an enemy a countersign; pa word.