Watchmen

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals assigned the duty of monitoring and supervising a designated area to maintain security
2. People who serve as overseers or guardians, ensuring safety through constant observation and vigilance
3. Persons tasked with guarding a place by carefully observing activities to prevent trouble

Etymology: "Watchmen" is the plural of "watchman," so it inherits the whole story of its singular form. The singular is a compound of "watch" and "man," and the two parts carry their ordinary meanings: a watch is the act of keeping vigilant observation, and a man is the person doing it. Middle English speakers wrote it as "waccheman," and it describes exactly what the English word still does, a person posted to keep an eye on something so that trouble is noticed early. The plural follows the regular pattern for compounds ending in "man," where the second element changes to "men" while the first stays fixed, so the plural is "watchmen" rather than "watchmans." That is why the word looks like a combination of two familiar parts whose meanings add together without surprises.

Synonyms: guards, sentinels, lookouts, observers, patrollers

Antonyms: intruders, attackers, thieves, criminals, vandals