See Also: wake(4)(dictionary)
wake(3)(dictionary)
wake(2)(dictionary)
Wake(medicine)
wake(1)(dictionary)
wake-up(dictionary)
wake-robin(dictionary)
Wake Island(encyclopedia)
Finnegan's Wake(dictionary)
wake 1, verb(dictionary)

wake(4) (iou)



wake verb. , waked.
[Old English strong verb repr. only in pa. t. woc corresp. to Old Norse verb repr. by pa. pple vakinn awake; also partly from Old English weak verb wacian = Old Frisian wakia, Old Saxon wakon, Old High German wahhen, -on (German wachen), from Germanic from Indo-European. Cf. WATCH verb.]
I.
verb intrans. Be or remain awake, be kept awake. Now rare exc. as waking noun, ppl adjective. OE.
b. verb trans. Remain awake during (the night). poet. L15.
verb intrans. Stay awake to keep watch, provide care, or accomplish work; remain active or vigilant at night. Now only (dial.), sit up at night with a person, esp. a sick one. OE.
verb intrans. Avoid sleep as a religious observance; pass the night in prayer, keep a vigil in church, beside a dead body before burial, etc. obsolete exc. dial. OE.
verb trans.
a. Watch or guard at night, keep watch over. obsolete exc. dial. ME.
b. Keep watch or vigil beside the body of (a dead person) before burial, hold a wake over. Now dial. (esp. Anglo-Irish). ME.
II.
verb intrans. Come out of the state of sleep or unconsciousness, cease to sleep. Freq. foll. by up. ME.
J. Barth I must have waked at six o'clock, that morning. C. Brayfield I feel like I'm dreaming and I never want to wake up.
b. transf. & fig. Be roused to action or activity; become animated, alert, or lively, throw off lethargy. Usu. foll. by up. LME.
verb trans. Rouse from sleep or unconsciousness, cause to stop sleeping. Freq. foll. by up. ME.
P. Ustinov He was asleep...They went through the room quietly, without waking him up.
b. transf. & fig. Rouse to action or activity, make alert or lively. Also, disturb (silence, a place) with noise; cause to re-echo. Freq. foll. by up. LME.
verb trans. Bring (a feeling etc.) into being, arouse; stir up (strife etc.); evoke (an echo etc.). Also foll. by up. ME.
J. Buchan A surprising number of things which woke my curiosity.
Phrases: wake a sleeping wolf: see WOLF noun. wake to, wake up to (cause to) become conscious, aware, or appreciative of.
wakeless adjective without awakening, unbroken, undisturbed E19.
waker noun a person who wakes a person or thing; a person who wakes in a specified way;
waker-upper (colloq.), a waker: ME.
waking noun the action of the verb; an instance of this; being or remaining awake; dial. a vigil, a wake over a dead body: ME.
waking ppl adjective that wakes; that remains awake; waking dream: see DREAM noun2: ME.