watch

/ˈwɒtʃ/WOCH
/ˈwɑtʃ/WAHCH

Meaninga wake, a keeping awake

Common meaning: to look at attentively

Journey through time

  1. Old Englishweccesource
  2. Middle Englishwacchesource
  3. Englishwatch‘to look at attentively’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old English wecce ‘a wake, a keeping awake’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry WATCH, p. 698 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • wecce Old English “a wake, a keeping awake”

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