vigil

/ˈvɪdʒɪl/ (bre, ipa) · [vˈɪdʒəl] /ˈvɪdʒɪl/ (ame, ipa) · [vˈɪdʒəl] /ˈvi-jəl How to pronounce vigil (audio)/ (ame, mw)

vigil — noun

  • vigilsingular
  • vigilsplural

1. a time when someone stays awake through the night, either to care for a sick or

1.名詞B2
釋義

a time when someone stays awake through the night, either to care for a sick or dying person, to quietly show support for a cause, or to take part in prayer.

例句

Hundreds of people held a candlelit vigil outside the courthouse to protest the new law.

hold a candlelit vigil + location + purpose

Eshe kept a bedside vigil for her father, napping in a chair next to him.

keep a bedside vigil for someone

同義詞
  • watch

    more general term for staying awake or alert; lacks the emotional or solemn tone of vigil

  • wake

    specifically the time spent with a dead body before a funeral; more funeral-specific than vigil

  • all-nighter

    informal; staying up all night for work or study, not for a compassionate or protest purpose

反義詞
  • sleep

    the natural state of rest that a vigil deliberately avoids

文法句型

keep vigil

hold a vigil

stand vigil

用法筆記

Often used with the verbs 'hold', 'keep', or 'stand'. Common in news reports about protests or hospital vigils. The setting is typically at night.

常見錯誤

❌I pulled a vigil last night to finish my homework.
✅I pulled an all-nighter last night to finish my homework.
💡A vigil is for watching over someone, protesting, or praying, not for studying or working.
❌The guard kept his vigil at the factory gate.
✅The guard kept watch at the factory gate.
💡Routine security work is 'keeping watch'; 'vigil' implies a compassionate, meaningful, or solemn purpose.

2. a religious ceremony or period of prayer held on the evening or night before a m

2.名詞C1
釋義

a religious ceremony or period of prayer held on the evening or night before a major religious festival.

例句

The church held a midnight vigil on Christmas Eve before the morning service.

hold a vigil on [festival] Eve

Bao attended the Easter vigil at the cathedral, which lasted from sunset to sunrise.

同義詞
  • evensong

    an Anglican evening prayer service; not tied to a festival eve like a vigil

  • vespers

    a Christian evening prayer service; broader in meaning than vigil, as vespers are held daily

  • wake

    a watch kept over a dead body before burial; overlaps with vigil only in the funerary sense

文法句型

Easter vigil

midnight vigil

vigil service

用法筆記

Primarily used in Christian traditions (Easter Vigil, Christmas Vigil), but may appear in other religious contexts. Often capitalised when referring to a specific liturgical service (e.g. 'the Easter Vigil').

常見錯誤

❌They held a religious vigil for the politician's birthday.
✅They held a prayer service for the politician's birthday.
💡A religious vigil is tied to the eve of a religious festival, not a birthday celebration.