deathwatch
/ˈdɛθwɒtʃ/ noun
Forms deathwatches
- noun A vigil beside a dying person
- noun One who guards a condemned person before execution.
- noun A deathwatch beetle.
Synonyms
booklouse book louse Liposcelis divinatorius deathwatch beetle Xestobium rufovillosum
Etymology
From death + watch.
Webster’s 1913
- noun (a) A small beetle (Anobium tessellatum and other allied species). By forcibly striking its head against woodwork it makes a ticking sound, which is a call of the sexes to each other, but has been imagined by superstitious people to presage death.
- noun The guard set over a criminal before his execution.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “deathwatch”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details