noun · femininefirst declension
vigilia
vigilia f (genitive vigiliae)
Classical[wɪˈɡɪ.li.a]Ecclesiastical[viˈd͡ʒiː.li.a]
Mille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- femininewatch, vigil
- femininewakefulness
- femininecity guard, constabulary, police
- femininea section of night-time, itself divided into four season-dependent vigiliae (the longer the night, the longer the vigilia)
Ubi per exploratores Caesar certior factus est tres iam partes copiarum Helvetios id flumen traduxisse, quartam vero partem citra flumen Ararim reliquam esse, de tertia vigilia cum legionibus tribus e castris profectus ad eam partem pervenit quae nondum flumen transierat.
When Caesar was made certain that the Helvetii had already conveyed three parts of their army across the river, that a fourth part was still on the other side of the Saone, he broke camp during the third watch (loosely between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m.) to join the same host that had yet to cross the streams.c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico 1.12
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
pars noctis quā mīlitēs vigilant; quattuor vigiliae noctis.vigilia -ae f — in Mille Verba, Bellum et Arma
cūstōdia noctisvigilia -ae (f) — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 9, 12
pars noctis (quārta = ante lūcem)vigilia -ae (f) — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 12
pars noctis quā mīlitēs vigilantvigilia -ae (f) — in Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 11
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Excubiæ · Stationes · Vigiliæ
Excubiæ are the sentinels before the palace, as guards of honor and safeguards; stationes, guards stationed at the gate as an outpost; vigiliæ, guards in the streets during the night as a patrol.
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | vigilia | vigiliae |
| genitive | vigiliae | vigiliārum |
| dative | vigiliae | vigiliīs |
| accusative | vigiliam | vigiliās |
| ablative | vigiliā | vigiliīs |
| vocative | vigilia | vigiliae |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- vigilias agere in castris (Verr. 4. 43)
- to mount guard in the camp.
- circumvenire vigilias (Sall. Iug. 45. 2)
- to make the round of the sentries.
- vigilias crebras ponere (Sall. Iug. 45. 2)
- to place a close line of sentry-posts.
vĭgĭlĭa, ae, f. (
I. neutr. collat. form vĭgĭ-lĭum, Varr. ap. Non. p. 232, 4) [vigil].
I. Lit.
A. In gen., wakefulness, sleeplessness, a lying awake:
ut neque vigilia praecesserit neque ventris resolutio, Cels. 2, 6: corporum robora nocturnā vigiliā minuere, id. 1 init.: cui non sunt auditae Demosthenis vigiliae? Cic. Tusc. 4, 19, 44; id. Par. prooem. § 5.—B. In partic.
1. Lit., a keeping awake for the security of a place, esp. of a city or camp, a watching, watch, guard (cf.:
excubiae, statio): noctu vigilias agere ad aedes sacras, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43, § 93: vestra tecta custodiis vigiliisque defendite, id. Cat. 2, 12, 26: exercitus stationibus vigiliisque fessus, Liv. 5, 48, 6: vigiles scutum in vigiliam ferre vetuit, to take on guard, id. 44, 33, 8: vigiliarum nocturnarum curam per urbem magistratibus mandavimus, id. 39, 16, 12.—b. Transf.
(a). A watch, i. e. the time of keeping watch by night, among the Romans a fourth part of the night:
nox in quattuor vigilias dividitur, quae singulae trium horarum spatio supputantur, Hier. Ep. 140, 8: primā vigiliā capite arma frequentes, Liv. 5, 44, 7; 10, 34, 13; 21, 27, 2: cum puer tuus ad me secundā fere vigiliā venisset, Cic. Fam. 3, 7, 4: de tertiā vigiliā, Caes. B. G. 1, 12: tertiā vigiliā, id. ib. 2, 33; Liv. 9, 44, 10: de quartā vigiliā, Caes. B. G. 1, 40.—(b). The watch, i. e. those standing on guard, watchmen, sentinels:
milites disponit, non certis spatiis intermissis sed perpetuis vigiliis stationibusque, Caes. B. C. 1, 21; 2, 19; Cic. Mil. 25, 67; Sall. C. 32, 1; id. J. 45, 2; 100, 4; Liv. 39, 14, 10.—2. A watching at religious festivals, nightly vigils:
Cereris vigiliae, Plaut. Aul. prol. 36; 4, 10, 65.—II. Trop., watchfulness, vigilance (the figure taken from military sentinels; perh. only in the foll. passages;
whereas vigilantia is far more freq.): ut vacuum metu populum Romanum nostrā vigiliā et prospicientiā redderemus, Cic. Phil. 7, 7, 19; cf.: quasi in vigiliā quādam consulari ac senatoriā, id. ib. 1, 1, 1: cupio jam vigiliam meam, Brute, tibi tradere: sed ita, ut ne desim constantiae meae, my post, i. e. my office, duty, id. Fam. 11, 24, 1.—Plur.: cum summis vigiliis aliquid perficere, Just. Inst. prooem. § 1.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
vigilia ae, f
vigil, a watching, wakefulness, sleeplessness, lying awake: Demosthenis vigiliae.— A keeping watch, watching, watch, guard: noctu vigilias agere ad aedīs sacras: scutum in vigiliam ferre, to take on guard, L.: vigiliarum nocturnarum curam magistratibus mandare, L.—A watch, time of keeping watch (a fourth part of the night): primā vigiliā, L.: de tertiā vigiliā, Cs.: vigiliae in stupris consumptae, i. e. nights.—Plur., the watch, men on watch, watchmen, sentinels, post, guard: milites disponit perpetuis vigiliis stationibusque, Cs.: si vigiliae, si iuventus armata est: vigilias disponere per urbem, L.—Fig., watchfulness, vigilance: vacuum metu populum R. nostrā vigiliā reddere.—A post, office, term of office: vigiliam meam tibi tradere: aliorum consulum.
Origins
From vigil.
Borrowings
- Catalanvigília
- Englishvigil
- Italianvigilia
- Portuguesevigília
- Spanishvigilia
- Basquebegira
- Galicianvixilia
- Asturianvixiliafrom Old Leonese vigilia
- Irishféilefrom Old Irish féil
- Manxfeaillfrom Old Irish féil
Italo-Romance
- Italianvegghia
- Italianveggia
- Sicilianvigghia
Gallo-Romance
- Frenchveille
- Italianveglia
- Bourguignonvoille
- Walloonwoeye
Ibero-Romance
- Asturianvelea
In English words that came into English from vigilia
- vigilvigilia