deathwatch: Meaning and Definition of

death•watch

Pronunciation: (deth'woch", -wôch"), [key]
— n.
  1. a vigil beside a dying or dead person.
  2. a guard set over a condemned person before execution.
  3. Also calledany of several beetles of the family Anobiidae that make a ticking sound as they bore through wood: the sound was once believed to be an omen of death.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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