Watch

Watch
Watch Watch (w[o^]ch), n. [OE. wacche, AS. w[ae]cce, fr. wacian to wake; akin to D. wacht, waak, G. wacht, wache. [root]134. See {Wake}, v. i. ] [1913 Webster] 1. 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. [1913 Webster]

Shepherds keeping watch by night. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

All the long night their mournful watch they keep. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

Note: Watch was formerly distinguished from ward, the former signifying a watching or guarding by night, and the latter a watching, guarding, or protecting by day Hence, they were not unfrequently used together, especially in the phrase to keep watch and ward, to denote continuous and uninterrupted vigilance or protection, or both watching and guarding. This distinction is now rarely recognized, watch being used to signify a watching or guarding both by night and by day, and ward, which is now rarely used, having simply the meaning of guard, or protection, without reference to time. [1913 Webster]

Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

Ward, guard, or custodia, is chiefly applied to the daytime, in order to apprehend rioters, and robbers on the highway . . . Watch, is properly applicable to the night only, . . . and it begins when ward ends, and ends when that begins. --Blackstone. [1913 Webster]

2. One who watches, or those who watch; a watchman, or a body of watchmen; a sentry; a guard. [1913 Webster]

Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch; go your way, make it as sure as ye can. --Matt. xxvii. 65. [1913 Webster]

3. The post or office of a watchman; also, the place where a watchman is posted, or where a guard is kept. [1913 Webster]

He upbraids Iago, that he made him Brave me upon the watch. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

4. 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. [1913 Webster]

I did stand my watch upon the hill. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Might we but hear . . . Or whistle from the lodge, or village cock Count the night watches to his feathery dames. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

5. A small timepiece, or chronometer, to be carried about the person, the machinery of which is moved by a spring. [1913 Webster]

Note: Watches are often distinguished by the kind of escapement used, as an {anchor watch}, a {lever watch}, a {chronometer watch}, etc. (see the Note under {Escapement}, n., 3); also, by the kind of case, as a {gold} or {silver watch}, an {open-faced watch}, a {hunting watch}, or {hunter}, etc. [1913 Webster]

6. (Naut.) (a) An allotted portion of time, usually four hour for standing watch, or being on deck ready for duty. Cf. {Dogwatch}. (b) That part, usually one half, of the officers and crew, who together attend to the working of a vessel for an allotted time, usually four hours. The watches are designated as the {port watch}, and the {starboard watch}. [1913 Webster]

{Anchor watch} (Naut.), a detail of one or more men who keep watch on deck when a vessel is at anchor.

{To be on the watch}, to be looking steadily for some event.

{Watch and ward} (Law), the charge or care of certain officers to keep a watch by night and a guard by day in towns, cities, and other districts, for the preservation of the public peace. --Wharton. --Burrill.

{Watch and watch} (Naut.), the regular alternation in being on watch and off watch of the two watches into which a ship's crew is commonly divided.

{Watch barrel}, the brass box in a watch, containing the mainspring.

{Watch bell} (Naut.), a bell struck when the half-hour glass is run out, or at the end of each half hour. --Craig.

{Watch bill} (Naut.), a list of the officers and crew of a ship as divided into watches, with their stations. --Totten.

{Watch case}, the case, or outside covering, of a watch; also, a case for holding a watch, or in which it is kept.

{Watch chain}. Same as {watch guard}, below.

{Watch clock}, a watchman's clock; see under {Watchman}.

{Watch fire}, a fire lighted at night, as a signal, or for the use of a watch or guard.

{Watch glass}. (a) A concavo-convex glass for covering the face, or dial, of a watch; -- also called {watch crystal}. (b) (Naut.) A half-hour glass used to measure the time of a watch on deck.

{Watch guard}, a chain or cord by which a watch is attached to the person.

{Watch gun} (Naut.), a gun sometimes fired on shipboard at 8 p. m., when the night watch begins.

{Watch light}, a low-burning lamp used by watchers at night; formerly, a candle having a rush wick.

{Watch night}, The last night of the year; -- so called by the Methodists, Moravians, and others, who observe it by holding religious meetings lasting until after midnight.

{Watch paper}, an old-fashioned ornament for the inside of a watch case, made of paper cut in some fanciful design, as a vase with flowers, etc.

{Watch tackle} (Naut.), a small, handy purchase, consisting of a tailed double block, and a single block with a hook. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • watch — [wäch, wôch] n. [ME wacche < OE wæcce < base of wacian: see WAKE1] 1. the act or fact of keeping awake, esp. of keeping awake and alert, in order to look after, protect, or guard 2. a) any of the several periods into which the night was… …   English World dictionary

  • Watch — Watch, v. i. [Cf. AS. w[oe]ccan, wacian. [root]134. See {Watch}, n., {Wake}, v. i. ] [1913 Webster] 1. To be awake; to be or continue without sleep; to wake; to keep vigil. [1913 Webster] I have two nights watched with you. Shak. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • -watch — The noun watch, meaning ‘a state of alert’, first produced a suffix (or combining form) in the 1950s, and is known earlier in verbs such as firewatch (a term from the Second World War), but it is essentially a creation of the 70s (doomwatch) and… …   Modern English usage

  • watch — [n1] clock worn on body analog watch, chronometer, digital watch, pocket watch, stopwatch, ticker*, timepiece, timer, wristwatch; concept 463 watch [n2] lookout alertness, attention, awareness, duty, eagle eye*, eye*, gander, guard, hawk, heed,… …   New thesaurus

  • watch — ► VERB 1) look at attentively. 2) keep under careful or protective observation. 3) exercise care, caution, or restraint about. 4) (watch for) look out for. 5) (watch out) be careful. 6) maintain an interest i …   English terms dictionary

  • Watch — bezeichnet: Watch (Fernsehsender), britischer Fernsehsender The Watch, italienische Progressive Rock Gruppe Siehe auch Black Watch UN Watch Watch Island Watch Valley …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Watch — unix утилита, запускает и следит за программой через фиксированные интервалы времени. Если интервал не задан с помощью опции n , то команда будет запускаться каждые 2 секунды. Завершить программу можно с помощью нажатия соответствующих клавиш… …   Википедия

  • Watch — Watch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Watched}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Watching}.] [1913 Webster] 1. 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • watch — watch  unix утилита, запускает и следит за программой через фиксированные интервалы времени. Если интервал не задан с помощью опции n, то команда будет запускаться каждые 2 секунды. Завершить программу можно с помощью нажатия соответствующих …   Википедия

  • Watch Me — «Watch Me» Sencillo de Shake It Up del álbum Break It Down Publicación 21 de junio de 2011 …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”