watchman

watchman
   In modern times used of a man who guards a building or complex of buildings, especially as a night watchman.
   The word was originally used of a military sentry, then was applied to a constable of the watch, a man who before the Police Act of 1839 patrolled the streets at night to protect people and property. Shakespeare does not use ‘watchman’ vocatively, but refers to watchmen in both of these earlier senses. The Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens, was published 1836–7. When Mr Dowler calls ‘Watchman, stop him, hold him, keep him tight, shut him in, till I come down,’ referring to Mr Winkle, it would have been the constable of the watch he was addressing.

A dictionary of epithets and terms of address . . 2015.

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  • Watchman — Watch man, n.; pl. {Watchmen}. [1913 Webster] 1. One set to watch; a person who keeps guard; a guard; a sentinel. [1913 Webster] 2. Specifically, one who guards a building, or the streets of a city, by night. [1913 Webster] {Watchman beetle} (Zo[ …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Watchman — or Watchmen can refer to:*Security guard, a person who watches over and protects property, assets, or people *Watchmen (law enforcers), a more dated term from medieval times for those who watched and guarded * Watchmen , an acclaimed 1986 Alan… …   Wikipedia

  • watchman — index caretaker (one caring for property), guardian, warden Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • watchman — [watʃman] n. m. ÉTYM. 1743, trad. de Fielding, in Mackenzie; mot angl., de to watch « surveiller », et man. ❖ ♦ Anglic. Vx. Garde, veilleur de nuit, en Angleterre et, par ext., dans d autres pays …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • watchman — (n.) also watch man, c.1400, guard, sentinel, lookout (late 12c. as a surname), figuratively guardian, protector (mid 15c.), from WATCH (Cf. watch) (n.) + MAN (Cf. man) (n.). Also person characterized by wakefulness (mid 15c.) …   Etymology dictionary

  • watchman — ► NOUN 1) a man employed to look after an empty building, especially at night. 2) historical a member of a night watch …   English terms dictionary

  • watchman — [wäch′mən, wôch′mən] n. pl. watchmen [wächmən, wôch′mən] 1. Archaic a person whose duty was to guard or police the streets at night 2. a person hired to guard a building or other property against thieves, vandals, or trespassers, esp. at night …   English World dictionary

  • Watchman — Sony Watchman FD 210BE Watchman ist ein Warenzeichen von Sony für besonders kleine tragbare Fernsehgeräte ( Taschenfernseher ). Der erste Sony Watchman wurde unter der Modellbezeichnung FD 210 im Jahr 1982 vorgestellt. Das Gerät verfügt über eine …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • watchman — UK [ˈwɒtʃmən] / US [ˈwɑtʃmən] noun [countable] Word forms watchman : singular watchman plural watchmen a night watchman …   English dictionary

  • watchman — n. a night watchman * * * [ wɒtʃmən] a night watchman …   Combinatory dictionary

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