watch from Middle English wacche

watch As a noun, from Middle English wacche,
Etymology

As a noun, from Middle English wacche，See below for verb form.

Noun

watch (plural watches)
1.A portable or wearable timepiece. [quotations ▼]

More people today carry a watch on their wrists than in their pockets.
2.The act of guarding and observing someone or something. [quotations ▼]

3.A particular time period when guarding is kept. [quotations ▼]The second watch of the night began at midnight.

4.A person or group of people who guard. [quotations ▼]The watch stopped the travelers at the city gates.

5.The post or office of a watchman; also, the place where a watchman is posted, or where a guard is kept. [quotations ▼]

6.(nautical) A group of sailors and officers aboard a ship or shore station with a common period of duty: starboard watch, port watch.
7.(nautical) A period of time on duty, usually four hours in length; the officers and crew who tend the working of a vessel during the same watch. (FM 55–501).
8.The act of seeing, or viewing, for a period of time. [quotations ▼]
Derived terms[edit]
(Terms derived from the noun “watch”)