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vigilmore about vigil

vigil

 

  2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Vigil  \Vig"il\,  n.  [OE.  vigile,  L.  vigilia,  from  vigil  awake, 
  watchful,  probably  akin  to  E.  wake:  cf  F.  vigile.  See 
  {Wake},  v.  i.,  and  cf  {Reveille},  {Surveillance},  {Vedette}, 
  {Vegetable},  {Vigor}.] 
  1.  Abstinence  from  sleep,  whether  at  a  time  when  sleep  is 
  customary  or  not  the  act  of  keeping  awake,  or  the  state 
  of  being  awake,  or  the  state  of  being  awake; 
  sleeplessness;  wakefulness;  watch.  ``Worn  out  by  the 
  labors  and  vigils  of  many  months.''  --Macaulay. 
 
  Nothing  wears  out  a  fine  face  like  the  vigils  of  the 
  card  table  and  those  cutting  passions  which  attend 
  them  --Addison. 
 
  2.  Hence  devotional  watching;  waking  for  prayer,  or  other 
  religious  exercises. 
 
  So  they  in  heaven  their  odes  and  vigils  tuned. 
  --Milton. 
 
  Be  sober  and  keep  vigil,  The  Judge  is  at  the  gate. 
  --Neale 
  (Rhythm  of  St 
  Bernard). 
 
  3.  (Eccl.) 
  a  Originally,  the  watch  kept  on  the  night  before  a 
  feast. 
  b  Later  the  day  and  the  night  preceding  a  feast. 
 
  He  that  shall  live  this  day  and  see  old  age, 
  Will  yearly  on  the  vigil  feast  his  neighbors, 
  And  say  ``To-morrow  is  St  Crispian.''  --Shak. 
  c  A  religious  service  performed  in  the  evening  preceding 
  a  feast. 
 
  {Vigils,  or  Watchings},  {of  flowers}  (Bot.),  a  peculiar 
  faculty  belonging  to  the  flowers  of  certain  plants  of 
  opening  and  closing  their  petals  as  certain  hours  of  the 
  day  [R.] 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  vigil 
  n  1:  a  period  of  sleeplessness 
  2:  a  devotional  watch  (especially  on  the  eve  of  a  religious 
  festival)  [syn:  {watch}] 
  3:  a  purposeful  surveillance  to  guard  or  observe  [syn:  {watch}]




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