watchman

See also: Watchman

English

Etymology

From Middle English waccheman, equivalent to watch +‎ -man.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɒtʃmən/
• Hyphenation: watch‧man

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

watchman (plural watchmen)

1. One set to watch; a person who keeps guard, especially one who guards a building, or the streets of a city, by night.

   Synonym: watcher

   Hyponym: night watchman

   • 1829, Edward Bulwer Lytton, chapter XVIII, in The Disowned‎^[1]:

     The visits of the watchman to that (then) obscure and ill-inhabited neighborhood were more regulated by his indolence than his duty; and Clarence knew that it would be in vain to listen for his cry or tarry for his assistance.

   • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 8:

     Well, it so happened that Stine and the cook were sitting in their room one evening, mending and darning their things; it was near bedtime, for the watchman had already sung out "Ten o'clock," but somehow the darning and the sewing went on very slowly indeed[.]

   • 1950 March, H. A. Vallance, “On Foot Across the Forth Bridge”, in Railway Magazine, page 149:

     Watchmen are stationed continuously at each end of the bridge, and the main spans are patrolled twice during the night.

Derived terms

• night watchman

Related terms

• watchdog
• watchout
• watch out
• watchwoman

 

Translations

guard

• Arabic: حَارِس m (ḥāris)

  Egyptian Arabic: حارس m (ḥāris)

• Aromanian: avigljitor m
• Azerbaijani: gözətçi (az)
• Bashkir: һаҡсы (haqsı)
• Belarusian: вартаўні́к m (vartaŭník), сто́раж m (stóraž), ахо́ўнік m (axóŭnik)
• Bulgarian: пазач (bg) m (pazač), стража (bg) f (straža)
• Catalan: guaita (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 看守者 (zh) (kānshǒuzhě)

• Czech: hlídač (cs) m, strážce (cs) m
• Danish: vagt (da) c, nattevagt (da) c (night watch), vægter c (historical, in market towns)
• Egyptian: (wršy)
• Finnish: vartija (fi)
• French: guetteur (fr) m, sentinelle (fr) f

  Old French: gaite m

• Galician: garda (gl) m, sentinela (gl) f, vixía m, vixilante m or f
• German: Wächter (de) m
• Hindi: पहरेदार (hi) m (pahredār), चौकीदार (hi) m (caukīdār)
• Hungarian: őrszem (hu)
• Irish: seiceadóir m
• Italian: guardiano (it), sorvegliante (it)
• Japanese: 警備員 (ja) (けいびいん, keibiin), ウォッチマン (wotchiman)
• Kashubian: aùsknecht m, dozérca f
• Korean: 경비원(警備員) (ko) (gyeongbiwon), 야경꾼 (yagyeongkkun)
• Latin: custos m, vigil (la) m, excubitor m
• Macedonian: па́зач m (pázač), чу́вар m (čúvar)
• Maori: kaimataara
• Navajo: haʼasídí
• Nivkh: йытӈунивх (jətŋuņivx)
• Occitan: gacha f, gach m, gaita (oc) f, gait m, sentinèla (oc) f
• Persian: نگهبان (fa) (negahbân), پاسدار (fa) (pâsdâr)
• Plautdietsch: Loagawach m
• Polabian: storz m
• Polish: stróż (pl) m
• Portuguese: vigia (pt) m or f
• Romanian: paznic (ro) m, străjer (ro) m, păzitor (ro) m, gardian (ro) m
• Russian: сто́рож (ru) m (stórož), охра́нник (ru) m (oxránnik)
• Slovak: strážca m
• Spanish: guardián (es) m, celador (es) m, guarda (es) m or f, vigía (es) m or f, centinela (es) m, encargado (es) m, vigilante (es) m or f, shafo m (Argentina)
• Swahili: mlinzi (sw), mabawabu (sw)
• Swedish: väktare (sv) c
• Taos: xína
• Thai: ยาม (th) (yaam), ภารโรง (paan-roong)
• Turkish: bekçi (tr), nöbetçi (tr), gözetmen (tr), gardiyan (tr)
• Ukrainian: сто́рож m (stórož), вартівни́к (uk) m (vartivnýk), охоро́нник m (oxorónnyk), охоро́нець m (oxorónecʹ)
• Urdu: چَوکِیدار m (caukīdār)
• Welsh: gwyliwr m

See also

• security guard