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lyke-wake

British  
/ ˈlaɪkˌweɪk /

noun

  1. a watch held over a dead person, often with festivities

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lyke-wake

C16: perhaps from Old Norse; see lych gate , wake 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

He laid her softly against his breast, and wrapped his coat warmly about her, and so sat he the night through, and held true lyke-wake over his wife and his happiness.

From Seed-time and Harvest A Novel by Fritz Reuter

But since that tragic night when my sorrow was transformed into joy at the lyke-wake in the old room, in truth the world is no longer what it was.

From Light by Fitzwater Wray

He sat there all night long, keeping a true lyke-wake by his wife and his dead happiness.

From An Old Story of My Farming Days Vol. I (of III). (Ut Mine Stromtid) by Fritz Reuter

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