vigilance

[vij-uh-luh ns] /ˈvɪdʒ ə ləns/
noun
1.
state or quality of being vigilant; watchfulness:
Vigilance is required in the event of treachery.
2.
Pathology, insomnia.
Origin
1560-70; alteration (-ance for -ancy) of obsolete vigilancy < Latin vigilantia; see vigilant, -ancy
Related forms
hypervigilance, noun
nonvigilance, noun
previgilance, noun
supervigilance, noun
Synonyms
1. alertness, attention, heedfulness, concern, care.
Examples from the web for vigilance
  • And yet, despite setbacks and constant self-vigilance, both could finally begin to see the glimmer of another possibility.
  • Unfortunately, the preservation of shared governance requires vigilance-and even fierceness-on the part of faculty members.
  • Yet he has slipped away in a lapse of adult vigilance.
  • The history of the art form depends on the critic's vigilance and his eloquence.
  • But a clipping recently landed on my desk that reminded me that vigilance, eternal it would seem, is indeed the price of liberty.
  • Cats could hunt the rodents attracted to the settlements without constant fear and vigilance against larger predators.
  • To detect and record them would require constant vigilance of millions of stars over many years with hundreds of telescopes.
  • For example, precocial chicks of geese and ducks spend much of the day feeding under vigilance of parents.
  • With so little scientific research and far too much pseudo science the subject is unlikely to be solved by our vigilance alone.
  • It takes practice, vigilance, and a knowledge of the types of errors you yourself tend to make.
British Dictionary definitions for vigilance

vigilance

/ˈvɪdʒɪləns/
noun
1.
the fact, quality, or condition of being vigilant
2.
the abnormal state or condition of being unable to sleep
Word Origin and History for vigilance
n.

1560s, from French vigilance, from Latin vigilantia "wakefulness," from vigilia (see vigil).