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Origin and history of vigil

vigil(n.)

mid-13c., "eve of a religious festival" (an occasion for devotional watching or observance through the night), from Anglo-French and Old French vigile, vigille "watch, guard; eve of a holy day" (12c.), from Latin vigilia "a watch, watchfulness," from vigil "watchful, awake, on the watch, alert," a derivative of vigere (from PIE root *weg- "to be strong, be lively").

The meaning "a wake for the dead" is from late 14c.; general sense of "act or occasion of keeping awake for some purpose" is recorded by 1711.

also from mid-13c.

Entries linking to vigil

vedette(n.)

"mounted sentinel placed in advance of an outpost," 1680s, from French vedette (16c.), from Italian (Florentine) vedetta "watch tower, peep hole," probably from vedere "to see," from Latin videre "to see" (see vision (n.)), or else from Latin vigil "watchful, awake" (see vigil (n.)).

vigilance(n.)

"watchfulness in discovering or guarding against danger," especially during hours of the night, 1560s, from French vigilance (16c.), from Latin vigilantia "wakefulness, watchfulness, attention," from vigil "watchful, awake" (see vigil). Related: Vigilancy (1530s).

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watch
Old English wæccan "keep watch, be awake," from Proto-Germanic *wakjan, from PIE root *weg- "to be strong, be lively." Essentially the same word as Old English wacian "be or remain awake" (see wake (v.)); perhaps a Northumbrian form of it. Meaning "be vigilant" is from c. 1200. T
wake
.); and partly from Old Norse vaka "vigil, eve before a feast" (which is related to vaka "be awake" and cognate with Old...High German wahta "watch, vigil," Middle Dutch wachten "to watch, guard"), from PIE root *weg- "to be strong, be lively."...
vigilante
Spanish vigilante, literally "watchman," from Latin vigilantem (nominative vigilans) "watchful, anxious, careful," from vigil...
surveillance
from surveiller "oversee, watch" (17c.), from sur- "over" (see sur- (1)) + veiller "to watch," from Latin vigilare, from vigil...
tire
"to weary," also "to become weary," Old English teorian (Kentish tiorian) "to fail, cease; become weary; make weary, exhaust," of uncertain origin; according to Watkins possibly from Proto-Germanic *teuzon, from a suffixed form of PIE root *deu- (1) "to lack, be wanting." Related
rite
early 14c., "formal act or procedure of religious observance performed according to an established manner," from Latin ritus "custom, usage," especially "a religious observance or ceremony" (source also of Spanish, Italian rito), which perhaps is from PIE root *re- "to reason, co
rendezvous
1590s, "place appointed for assembling of troops," from French rendez-vous, noun use of rendez vous "present yourselves," from the wording of orders, from rendez, second person plural imperative of rendre "to present" (see render (v.)) + vous "you" (from Latin vos, from PIE *wos-
freedom
Old English freodom "power of self-determination, state of free will; emancipation from slavery, deliverance;" see free (adj.) + -dom. Meaning "exemption from arbitrary or despotic control, civil liberty" is from late 14c. Meaning "possession of particular privileges" is from 157
sincere
1530s, "pure, unmixed, unadulterated;" also "free from pretense or falsehood," from French sincere (16c.), from Latin sincerus, of things, "whole, clean, pure, uninjured, unmixed," figuratively "sound, genuine, pure, true, candid, truthful" (unadulterated by deceit), a word of un

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