deathwatch
/ˈdɛθˌwɑtʃ/
noun
- A vigil kept beside a dying person, especially during the final hours of life.
- In some cultures, a deathwatch involves prayers and quiet songs.
- The family held a deathwatch at their grandfather's bedside all night.
- Nurses often provide comfort during a deathwatch in hospice care.
- A guard or watch kept over a condemned person before execution.
- Guards maintained a strict deathwatch to prevent any escape attempts.
- The novel describes the tense deathwatch in the prison the night before the hanging.
- The prisoner was under deathwatch in a special cell before his execution.
Synonyms