deathwatch

English

WOTD – 29 May 2011

Etymology

From death +‎ watch.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛθwɒtʃ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

deathwatch (plural deathwatches)

1. A vigil beside a dying person
2. One who guards a condemned person before execution.
3. A deathwatch beetle.

Translations

a vigil beside a dying person

Bulgarian: бдение при умиращ (bdenie pri umirašt) Finnish: valvojaiset (fi) pl, ruumiinvalvojaiset (fi) pl German: Totenwache (de) f Russian: дежу́рство у постели умершего (dežúrstvo u posteli umerševo), бо́дрствование у постели умирающего (bódrstvovanije u posteli umirajuščevo)

one who guards a condemned person before execution

a deathwatch beetle

Bulgarian: бръмбар-гробар (brǎmbar-grobar) Catalan: escarabat del rellotge de la mort m Finnish: puunkaivaja (fi) Galician: couza f Russian: точильщик пёстрый (točilʹščik pjóstryj), книжная вошь (knižnaja vošʹ)