Wast"rel (?), n. 1. Any waste thing or substance; as: (a) Waste land or
common land. [Obs.] Carew. (b) A profligate. [Prov. Eng.] (c) A
neglected child; a street Arab. [Eng.]
2. Anything cast away as bad or useless, as imperfect bricks, china,
etc. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
Watch (wch), n. [OE. wacche, AS. wæcce, fr. wacian to wake; akin to D.
wacht, waak, G. wacht, wache. √134. See Wake, v. i. ]
1. The act of watching; forbearance of sleep; vigil; wakeful, vigilant,
or constantly observant attention; close observation; guard;
preservative or preventive vigilance; formerly, a watching or guarding
by night.
Shepherds keeping watch by night.
Milton.
All the long night their mournful watch they keep.
Addison.
Watch was formerly distinguished from ward, the former signifying a
watching or guarding by night, and the latter a watching, guarding, or
protecting by day Hence, they were not unfrequently used together,
especially in the phrase to keep watch and ward, to denote continuous
and uninterrupted vigilance or protection, or both watching and
guarding. This distinction is now rarely recognized, watch being used
to signify a watching or guarding both by night and by day, and ward,
which is now rarely used, having simply the meaning of guard, or
protection, without reference to time.
Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward.
Spenser.
Ward, guard, or custodia, is chiefly applied to the daytime, in order
to apprehend rioters, and robbers on the highway . . . Watch, is
properly applicable to the night only, . . . and it begins when ward
ends, and ends when that begins.
Blackstone.
2. One who watches, or those who watch; a watchman, or a body of
watchmen; a sentry; a guard.
Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch; go your way, make it as sure as
ye can.
Matt. xxvii. 65.
3. The post or office of a watchman; also, the place where a watchman
is posted, or where a guard is kept.
He upbraids Iago, that he made him Brave me upon the watch.
Shak.
4. The period of the night during which a person does duty as a
sentinel, or guard; the time from the placing of a sentinel till his
relief; hence, a division of the night.