Wake, n. 1. The act of waking, or being awaked; also, the state of
being awake. [Obs. or Poetic]
Making such difference 'twixt wake and sleep.
Shak.
Singing her flatteries to my morning wake.
Dryden.
2. The state of forbearing sleep, especially for solemn or festive
purposes; a vigil.
The warlike wakes continued all the night, And funeral games played at
new returning light.
Dryden.
The wood nymphs, decked with daises trim, Their merry wakes and
pastimes keep.
Milton.
3. Specifically: (a) (Ch. of Eng.) An annual parish festival formerly
held in commemoration of the dedication of a church. Originally,
prayers were said on the evening preceding, and hymns were sung during
the night, in the church; subsequently, these vigils were discontinued,
and the day itself, often with succeeding days, was occupied in rural
pastimes and exercises, attended by eating and drinking, often to
excess.
Great solemnities were made in all churches, and great fairs and wakes
throughout all England.
Ld. Berners.
And every village smokes at wakes with lusty cheer.
Drayton.
(b) The sitting up of persons with a dead body, often attended with a
degree of festivity, chiefly among the Irish. "Blithe as shepherd at a
wake." Cowper.
Wake play, the ceremonies and pastimes connected with a wake. See Wake,
n., 3 (b), above. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Wake"ful (?), a. Not sleeping; indisposed to sleep; watchful; vigilant.
Dissembling sleep, but wakeful with the fright.
Dryden.
— Wake"ful*ly, adv. — Wake"ful*ness, n.
Wak"en (?), v. i. [imp. & p. pr. Wakened (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Wakening.] [OE. waknen, AS. wæcnan; akin to Goth. gawaknan. See Wake,
v. i.] To wake; to cease to sleep; to be awakened.
Early, Turnus wakening with the light.
Dryden.
Wak"en, v. t. 1. To excite or rouse from sleep; to wake; to awake; to
awaken. "Go, waken Eve." Milton.