Vĭg'il, n.

n. [Fr. vigile, veille, Pr., Sp., Pg., It., & Lat. vigilia, also Pr. velha, Sp. & Pg. vela, vigia, It. veglia, from Lat. vigil, awake, watchful, from vigere, to be lively or vigorous.] 1. Abstinence from sleep, either usual sleep or at the customary time; the act of keeping awake; sleeplessness; watch. Nothing wears out a fine face like the vigils of the card-table and those cutting passions which attend them. Addison. 2. Hence, devotional watching; waking for religious exercises. So they in heaven their odes and vigils tuned. Milton. 3. The eve or evening before any feast, the ecclesiastical day beginning at six o'clock in the evening, and continuing till the same hour the following evening; hence, a religious service performed in the evening preceding a holiday; also, a fast observed on the day preceding a holiday; a wake. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his friends, And say, To-morrow is St. Crispian. Shak. Vigils or watchings of flowers (Bot.), a peculiar faculty belonging to the flowers of certain plants of opening and closing their petals at certain hours of the day. [Rare.]