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.
One who watches, or those who watch; a watchman, or a body of watchmen; a sentry; a guard.
The post or office of a watchman; also, the place where a watchman is posted, or where a guard is kept.
The period of the night during which a person does duty as a sentinel, or guard; the time from the placing of a sentinel till his relief; hence, a division of the night.
A small timepiece, or chronometer, to be carried about the person, the machinery of which is moved by a spring.
An allotted portion of time, usually four hour for standing watch, or being on deck ready for duty. Cf. Dogwatch.
To be awake; to be or continue without sleep; to wake; to keep vigil.
To be attentive or vigilant; to give heed; to be on the lookout; to keep guard; to act as sentinel.
To be expectant; to look with expectation; to wait; to seek opportunity.
To remain awake with any one as nurse or attendant; to attend on the sick during the night; as, to watch with a man in a fever.
To serve the purpose of a watchman by floating properly in its place; - said of a buoy.
To give heed to; to observe the actions or motions of, for any purpose; to keep in view; not to lose from sight and observation; as, to watch the progress of a bill in the legislature.
To tend; to guard; to have in keeping.
A machine for measuring time, indicating the hour and other divisions; in ordinary mechanical clocks for domestic or office use the time is indicated on a typically circular face or dial plate containing two hands, pointing to numbers engraved on the periphery of the face, thus showing the hours and minutes. The works of a mechanical clock are moved by a weight or a spring, and it is often so constructed as to tell the hour by the stroke of a hammer on a bell. In electrical or electronic clocks, the time may be indicated, as on a mechanical clock, by hands, but may also be indicated by direct digital readout, with the hours and minutes in normal Arabic numerals. The readout using hands is often called analog to distinguish it from the digital readout. Some clocks also indicate the seconds. Clocks are not adapted, like the watch, to be carried on the person. Specialized clocks, such as atomic clocks, may be constructed on different principles, and may have a very high precision for use in scientific observations.
A watch, esp. one that strikes.
The striking of a clock.
A figure or figured work on the ankle or side of a stocking.
A large beetle, esp. the European dung beetle (Scarabæus stercorarius).
To ornament with figured work, as the side of a stocking.
To call, as a hen. See Cluck.
