watchman

See also: Watchman

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

Audio (US) (file)

Noun

watchman (plural watchmen)

One set to watch; a person who keeps guard, especially one who guards a building, or the streets of a city, by night.
- 1829, Edward Bulwer Lytton, chapter XVIII, in The Disowned‎:
  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, H.L. Brækstad, transl., 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[.]

Derived terms

night watchman

Related terms

watchdog
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 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 m, sentinela (gl) f, vixía m
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)
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 (jətŋunivx)
Occitan: gacha f, gach m, gaita (oc) f, gait m, sentinèla f
Persian: نگهبان‎ (fa) (negahbân), پاسدار‎ (fa) (pâsdâr)
Plautdietsch: Loagawach 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
Swahili: mlinzi (sw), mabawabu (sw)
Swedish: väktare (sv) c
Taos: xína
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