watch of the night

noun

In Antiquity, one of four divisions of the night (each equivalent to three hours).

OriginLatin vigilia noctis →
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Meanings

nounwatch of the night (plural watches of the night)

plural watches of the night

  1. historicalbiblicalIn Antiquity, one of four divisions of the night (each equivalent to three hours).

Origin

  1. Latinvigilia noctis
  2. Englishwatch of the night

Calque of Latin vigilia noctis.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

watch of the night. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watch%20of%20the%20night

MLA

“watch of the night.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watch%20of%20the%20night. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “watch of the night,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watch%20of%20the%20night.

Source: watch of the night on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.