What is the Latin word for watch?

The usual Latin words for “watch” are vigilia, īnsomnia, custōdia; also excubiae, excubitor, vigilō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“watch” in Latin

vigiliawatch, vigil; wakefulness; city guard, constabulary, police īnsomniasleeplessness, insomnia custōdiaprotection, safekeeping; custody, guardianship; prisoner excubiaewatching, keeping watch (outside); a watch, guard (group of people keeping watch)excubitorguard, sentinel, watchman; An imperial guard of early Byzantine emperors.vigilōto watch through, spend in watching, do or make while watching; to watch, remain awake, keep or be awake at night; to ri hōrologiumsundial; water clock; clock, watch hōrahour; time; o'clock excubōto lie or sleep outdoors; to keep watch advigilōto be watchful or vigilant for, watch by or at, keep guard over; to bestow care or attention upon something, watch for

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

watch s.

Absence of sleep, vigilia (voluntary): insomnia (involuntary).

Guard, vigilant keeping, custodia (general term): vigilia (by night): excubiae (by day or night). To keep watch (by night or day), excubare (Caes.); excubias agere (Tac.); excubias habere (Plin.); (by night) vigilare; vigilias agere (Cic.), or agitare (Plaut.); vigilias servare (Curt.): to stand upon the watch, in vigilia stare, manere.

Persons keeping guard, (by day) custodiae (Nep.); excubiae (Suet.); excubitores (Caes.); (by night or day) vigiles, vigiliae (Caes.); vigiles nocturni (Plaut.); also, statio (litterally, the station or post occupied by persons keeping guard; then men on guard, whether by day or by night): to set a strong watch about the house, domum magnis praesidiis firmare (Cic.); custodibus or custodiis sepire (Nep.).

A period of the night, vigilia (prima, secunda, etc.).

A pocket time-piece, horologium (ὡροκόγιον, general term for an instrument that shows the time of day; horologium solarium, or solarium only = sun-dial; clepsydra, κλεφύδρα = water-clock): horae (the hours; the time indicated by a sun-dial, etc.; then sometimes for clock or watch; as Cic., N.D., 2, .38, 97). A watch goes, horologium movetur; goes correctly, well, etc., horologii lineae congruunt ad horas (of a sun-dial, in Plin.): horologii virgula congruit ad horas (of a watch, adapted from Plin.); does not go well, horologii virgula non congruit ad horas; goes too fast, or gains, *horologium celerius movetur; too slow, loses, *horologium tardius movetur; repeats, *horologium sono indicat horas: to set a watch, horologium diligenter ordinare (Plin., 7, 60, 60): to wind up a watch, *horologium intendere: a watch is gone down, horologium moveri desiit: spring of a watch, *elater horologii: works of a watch, machinatio qua horae moventur (after Cic., N.D., 2, 38, 97): hand of a watch, *horologii virgula (☞ gnomon was the pointer in a sun-dial).

watch v.

Intransitively, Not to sleep [Vid: To be AWAKE].

To be vigilant and attentive, vigilare: advigilare: animum intendere circa, in, or ad aliquid, also, animum advertere alicui rei or ad aliquid: animum attendere ad aliquid (to direct or turn one’s attention to anything): observare aliquid (to observe): adesse animo or (if of several persons) animis: erigere mentem or (if of several persons) mentes auresque (both, to be attentive or intent upon the delivery of a speech): operam dare alicui rei (to direct all one’s attention to): custodire aliquem (to watch or observe anybody closely; or, if secretly, aliquem alicujus oculi et aures non sentientem speculantur et custodiunt). To watch anything closely, acriter animum intendere ad aliquid; acrem et diligentem esse animadversorem alicujus rei: to watch a time and opportunity, tempus, occasionemque observare.

To keep guard [Vid: To GUARD].

To be on the look-out, speculari: in speculis esse. To watch for anybody, exspectare aliquem: exspectare dum aliquis veniat (to wait till anybody comes); alicujus adventum captare; (with desire) haud mediocriter (to look eagerly for the arrival of anybody, Planc, in Cic., Ep., 10, 23); alicui insidiari (to lie in ambush for; and, general term, to wait for): to wait for anything, aliquid captare, observare; aliquid aucupari (to waitfor an opportunity); speculari (followed by ne or quid, to look out; ☞ only in Tac., and poets with an accusative = to wait for; e.g., speculabor, ne quis adit; speculabor, quid ibi agatur): to watch for an opportunity, occasionem captare; occasioni or in occasionem imminere; for a favorable moment, tempus aucupari; tempori insidiari (Liv., 23, 35).

Transitively, To guard, custodire (the proper word, also, figuratively = observare): servare: asservare (to take care of). To be watched, custodiri; in custodia esse: to cause to be watched, custodem or custodes imponere; anything, alicui rei or (rarely) in re; anybody, alicui (☞ never in aliquo; Vid: Bremi, Nep., Cim., 4, 1); custodias alicui circumdare: to cause a place to be watched, locum custodiis munire: many eyes will observe and watch you, although you are not aware of it, multorum te oculi non sentientem speculabuntur atque custodient.

To observe narrowly, observare; rem attendere. Vid: ATTEND.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for watch?: The usual Latin words for “watch” are vigilia, īnsomnia, custōdia; also excubiae, excubitor, vigilō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.