Definition of "vigil"

vigil

/ˈvɪd͡ʒəl/

noun
plural vigils
1. An instance of keeping awake during normal sleeping hours, especially to keep watch or pray.
  Quotations
  I saw her head drooped upon her hand; her whole attitude expressing that profound depression, whose lonely vigil wastes the midnight in a gloomy watch, which yet hopes for nothing at its close.
  1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), page 149
  Eventually the body trade grew so reckless that relatives took to holding graveside vigils, lest their loved ones disappear in the night.
  2016, Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad, Fleet (2017), page 165
2. A period of observation or surveillance at any hour.
3. The eve of a religious festival in which staying awake is part of the ritual devotions.
4. A quiet demonstration in support of a cause.