wakeman
9.9
A person who watches the streets at night to keep people safe
- noun
- Archaic
:
vigilante nocturno
- The village hired a wakeman to patrol the streets during the night.
Examples
-
In ancient times, the wakeman was responsible for alerting the town of any danger at night.
-
As a wakeman, he ensured that the townspeople felt safe while they slept.
-
And that's from the wakemans' cattle?
Synonyms
lookout
vswakeman
88
3.7
A person who watches and warns others about danger
is about general town safety patrol rather than spotting a single threat
watchman
vswakeman
28
4.1
A person who guards a building or land, usually at night
is an older town post aimed at keeping streets safe at night
night watchman
vswakeman
11
3.2
A person who guards a place at night
is the historical town duty focused on public safety rather than one site
night watcher
vswakeman
1
6.9
A person who looks after and guards a place at night
is an older word for a town role keeping streets safe after dark
lookout man
vswakeman
1
5.1
A man who watches for danger or police and warns others
is a broader town safety role, not only a spotter for threats
night watchwoman
vswakeman
5.3
A woman who guards a building at night
is the older town position focused on public safety after dark
watchwoman
vswakeman
6.8
A woman who guards a building or area, often at night
is the historical town duty for keeping people safe after dark
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word wakeman starts with wake meaning 'to be awake', as in the word awake, and ends with man meaning 'person', so it literally named someone who stayed awake to watch the town at night.