▪ I. waker, n.1
(ˈweɪkə(r))
[f. wake v. + -er1.]
† 1. One who ‘wakes’ or abstains from sleep.
| c 1290 St. Michael 691 in S. Eng. Leg. 319 Hardi and liȝt and stalewarde and wakiare wel guod. 1581 Mulcaster Positions xxx. (1887) 113 The spare feeder or great waker, needeth not any such kinde of physicke. |
2. One who awakes (early, etc.).
| 1633 B. Jonson Tale Tub i. vi, Late Watchers are no early Wakers, Madam. 1851 Mrs. Browning Casa Guidi Wind. i. 159 Men who will not fear The baptism of the holy morning dew (And many of such wakers now are here). 1893 A. Mackenzie in Independent (N.Y.) 19 Oct., The early waker. |
† 3. a. One who watches; a watcher, watchman. Obs.
| 1382 Wyclif Dan. iv. 10 [13] And loo! the waker, and holy came doun from heuen. 1388 ― Song Sol. iii. 3 Wakeris, that kepen the citee, founden me. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xii. xvi. (1495) 424 Cranes ordeyne watches and the waker stondyth vpon oo fote. c 1400 Langl. P. Pl. A. v. 223 (Harl. MS.) Til he woke & wept water wiþ his iȝen, & vigilate þe wakere warned him þo. c 1440 Jacob's Well 187 Sche ros opynly, in syȝt of alle here wakerys, & roryng went out at þe cherche-dore. 1808 Jamieson, Wauker, a watchman, one who watches clothes during night. |
b. dial. One who sits up with a sick person.
| 1798 W. Hutton Life 68, I had left her as usual with the waker and my daughter, and had slept two hours. |
4. One who rouses another from sleep; fig. one who excites or stirs up (some feeling, etc.).
| 1390 Gower Conf. II. 107 That is for I se hire noght, Which is the wakere of mi thoght. 1591 Southwell Marie Magd. Funerall Teares Ded. (1594) A 3 b, Sorrowe is the sister of mercie, and a waker of compassion. 1722 in W. Andrews Curios. Ch. (1890) 181 Paid to sluggard waker, 0 10 0. 1903 Daily Chron. 15 Dec. 5/2 In the districts where London working men live..sixpence a week from each client is the usual ‘waker's’ wage. 1913 Ditchfield Parish Clerk (ed. 2) 264 One Sunday the ‘waker’ sighted his prey. |
5. One who wakes (a corpse).
| 1808 Moore Corrupt. 172 Nay, when the Constitution has expir'd, I'll have such men, like Irish wakers, hir'd To chant old ‘Habeas Corpus’ by its side. 1974 D. Sears Lark in Clear Air xi. 139 But to hear the wakers at their trade you would think the deceased was Giant MacCaskill. |
Also waker-upper colloq. (a) (with qualifying adj.) in sense 2 of waker n.1; (b) = sense 4 of waker n.1 (cf. sense 8 a of the vb.). colloq.
| 1935 Morgantown (W.Va.) Post 7 Jan. 5/1 Henderson..serves as..waker-upper, and general handy man. 1966 ‘D. Shannon’ With a Vengeance x. 132 He slept so heavily as to need an ‘arrangement’ with a waker-upper. 1971 ‘E. Fenwick’ Impeccable People vi. 35 Louise..stood quiet, blinking... ‘Sorry,..I'm a slow waker-upper. Let's go and have the coffee.’ |
▪ II. † ˈwaker, a. Obs.
Also 1 wacor, wæcer, 4–5 wakir(e, wakyr (5 Sc. walkyr), (5 wakare).
[OE. wacor = WFris. wakker wakeful (also as adv. very), MDu., (M)LG. wacker (Du. wakker), OHG. wacchar, wahhar (MHG. wacher, wacker, mod.G. wacker valiant), ON. vakr wakeful, alert (Da. vakker, MSw. vakar watchful, Sw. vakker handsome):—OTeut. *wakro- f. *wak-: see wake v.]
Unsleeping, watchful, vigilant. Also fig.
| c 1000 Laws Cnut i. xxvi, Þonne moton þa hyrdas beon swyde wacore. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 13 Ðe ðridde [werke of brihtnesse] is þat man be waker and liht and snel and seli and erliche rise. a 1225 Ancr. R. 164 Ant Seint Peter..bit us te beon wakere & bisie ine holi beoden. a 1272 Luue Ron 150 in O.E. Misc. 97 Wyþ þeoues,..Þu most beo waker and snel. c 1381 Chaucer Parl. Foules 358 The wakyr goos, the cokkow most onkynde. c 1410 Lantern of Light 25 Wel auȝt suche a man to be waker & wise þat haþ þe greet God Lord of Israel dwelling in hise soule. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 301 Thai war better, mare wakir, and hable to the weris..throu hardness of lyfing. c 1530 Prov. in Pol., Rel. & L. Poems (1903) 60 Waker howndes been profitable. 1560 tr. æn. Sylvius' Lucres & Eurialus F viii b, The waker dragon dyd neuer keepe so well the golden fleece. |
▪ III. waker
obs. Sc. form of walker2.