night watch

Meaning

Noun

• A watch kept on some premises, or on a town, by guards during the night.
• One or more of the guards on such a watch.

Related

Similar words

• night watchman

Origin

• From Middle English nightwacche, nyȝt-wacche, nyghte wacche, nyȝt wacche, from Old English nihtwæċċe, a variant of nihtwacu, equivalent to night + watch. Cognate with West Frisian nachtwacht, Dutch nachtwacht, nachtwake, German Nachtwache and Nachtwächter, Swedish nattvakt, Icelandic næturvakt.