† 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. One who watches; a watcher, watchman. Obs.
1382. Wyclif, Dan. iv. 10 [13]. And loo! the waker, and holy came doun from heuen. Ibid. (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.
