Vigil1. (v. i.) 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.
2. (v. i.) Hence, devotional watching; waking for prayer, or other religious exercises.
3. (v. i.) Originally, the watch kept on the night before a feast.
4. (v. i.) Later, the day and the night preceding a feast.
5. (n.) A religious service performed in the evening preceding a feast.
Thesaurus Entries
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