Definition

• v. i. - 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.
• v. i. - One who watches, or those who watch; a watchman, or a body of watchmen; a sentry; a guard.
• v. i. - The post or office of a watchman; also, the place where a watchman is posted, or where a guard is kept.
• v. i. - 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.
• v. i. - A small timepiece, or chronometer, to be carried about the person, the machinery of which is moved by a spring.
• n. - An allotted portion of time, usually four hour for standing watch, or being on deck ready for duty. Cf. Dogwatch.