lyke-wake

A family keeps the lyke-wake for their departed grandmother.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A watch kept over a dead body: "lyke-wake" refers to the act of staying awake through the night to guard or keep vigil over a corpse, typically before a funeral. This practice is often accompanied by prayers, songs, or other rituals.

Usage Examples

• (They kept a vigil over the deceased before the burial.)
• (It is a nighttime watch over the dead.)

Advanced Usage

• "to hold a lyke-wake": to conduct or participate in a vigil over a corpse.
  • The villagers gathered to hold a lyke-wake for the fallen soldier. (They performed the traditional night watch.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lyke-wake (also spelled "lych-wake" or "litch-wake"): variant forms of the same term, all referring to a wake over a dead body.
  • The old church records mention a lyke-wake held in the chapel. (A vigil over the deceased.)

Synonyms

• Wake: a watch or vigil held over a dead body before burial.
• Vigil: a period of staying awake, especially to watch over a deceased person.

Related Idioms

• "to keep a lyke-wake": to maintain a vigil over a corpse.
  • They kept a lyke-wake throughout the cold night. (They stayed awake to guard the dead.)