Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “vigil” come from?

Vigil comes from Middle English vigile, from Old French vigile, from Latin vigilia meaning watchfulness or wakefulness, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weǵ-.

vigil (English): An instance of keeping awake during normal...

Definitions

  1. An instance of keeping awake during normal...

Ancestry of “vigil”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishvigilea devotional watching
2Old Frenchvigile—
3Latinvigiliawatch, vigil; wakefulness; city guard,...
4Latinvigilawake, watching, alert; watchman, guard,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵ-lively, awake; strong
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵ- →