# wait / wake / watch



## ThomasK

The two/ three are *semantically related*. I had been wondering about whether the Dutch *'waken' (to wake)* > *bewaken (guard)* and *'wachten' (to wait)* were also etymologically linked, and that seems to be the case. In English even 'watch' seemed related to 'wake', , but was 'imported' only later on from (Anglo-)French. 

My focus is not etymological, but semantic. The 'connotation' *waiting/watching* (seeing;..) combination is interesting to me. My question is: are they linked with one another in your language, or what else is waiting linked with ? Also with the idea of vigils (wake) ? 

SPA _esperar_ (hope) is one translation of 'wait'

ITA  _aspettare_ (wait) reminds me of _spettaculo_ (something to be seen)


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## apmoy70

In Greek:
To wait->Περιμένω (perim*e*no), compound word formed by the preposition _περί_ (per*i*: around, all around) & the verb _μένω_ (m*e*no: to stay, to remain). Therefore, _perimeno_ lit. means _to stick around_, _to move around a specific location_
To wake->Ξυπνώ (ksipn*o*), from the medieval Greek _ξυπνῶ_ (ksi'pno) from the ancient _ἐξυπνῶ_ (eksi'pnō, ἐξ+ὗπνος), lit. _to come out of sleep_
To guard->φρουρώ (frur*o*) from the ancient _φρουρέω_ (pʰru'reō, uncontr.)-_φρουρῶ_ (pʰru'rō, contracted verb) with the same meaning, or
περιφρουρώ (perifrur*o*), compound word formed by the preposition _περί_ (per*i*: around, all around) & the verb _φρουρώ_ (frur*o*), _to guard around_


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## ThomasK

Thanks, Apmoy. Clearly no (etymological) links, but other associations, very interesting...


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## Awwal12

*In Russian:*
1. *to wait* - "ждать" /zhd*a*t'/, "ожидать" /ozhid*a*t'/; waiting (verbal noun) - "ожидание" /ozhid*a*niye/. This group of words is totaly independent.
2. a) to wake (as an unassisted action, *ceasing to sleep*) - "просыпаться" /prosyp*a*tsa/, related with the verb "спать" /spat'/ - to sleep.
b) *to wake smb*. - "будить" /bud*i*t'/. No similar words (except close related verbal forms, of course).
c) to wake ("*not to sleep*") - "бодрствовать" /b*o*drstvovat'/ [b*o*dərstvəvət']. Related with the word "бодрый" /bodryi/ [b*o*drəj] - cheerful, brisk.
d) to wake = *to guard* 
- 1) "охранять" /okhrany*a*t'/ , related with the verb "хранить" /khran*i*t'/ - to keep.
- 2) "сторожить" /storozh*i*t'/ [stəɾʌʐ*i*t']. "Сторож" /st*o*rozh/ - a watchman, a warden; "страж" /strazh/ (poetic) - a guardsman; "стража" /str*a*zha/ (archaic) - a guard, a watch (as a group of men or a process); "стражник" /str*a*zhnik/ (archaic) - a guardsman.
- 3) "караулить" /kara*u*lit'/, also means "to watch for smb.", "*to lie in wait for smb.*". Derived from the noun "караул" /kara*u*l/ - a guard (as a group of men or a process), which is loaned from Turkic languages.
- 4) "сто*я*ть на час*а*х". Well, we discussed it a lot in another topic.  It is intransitive, literally means "to stay on a clock/on hours".
3. a) to watch = *to observe* - "смотреть" /smotr*e*t'/ (basic verb, also = "*to look*"; to watch TV - смотр*е*ть телев*и*зор), "наблюдать" /nablyud*a*t'/. The last one is related with the slightly archaic verb "блюсти" /blyust*i*/ - *to keep*, to guard, to observe (the laws). Another derivation in the modern language is "соблюдать" /soblyud*a*t'/ - to observe smth., to comply with smth., to follow smth., which is related mainly with different laws and rules.
b) to watch = not to sleep - look at "to wake".
c) to watch = to guard - look at "to wake".


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## ThomasK

What a wealth of information ! I do not manage very much to find the cross-relations (what is the right word again?). Am I right when I conclude this ? 

 - wait: no link (as you suggest, I think)
  - wake (2b/c) seem related, don't they /b.d/ ?
 - wake (2c) : interesting to hear that /bodrej/ means 'cheerful', but not 'alert', whereas I do think cheerfulness makes one less sleepy (or v.v.), or at least can be associated with it
 - wake (2d1): how can you use /khranit/ ? Keeping as in preserving, safeguarding? What can one 'khranit', if I may ask? 
 - wake (2d3) : can that be negative as in 'ambush' ? 
- wake (2d4): you are referring to our _watchman_ thread, you mean ? 
- watch (3a): you are not suggesting a link with keep in 2d1, I understand
- watch (3b/c): are you suggesting an etymological link with 2c/d ?


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## Awwal12

> - wake (2b/c) seem related, don't they /b.d/ ?


No, they surely aren't. Looks like they share a common ancestor word in the Proto-Indo-European language, but there were two different roots here in ancient Slavic forms already. Please, note the "r" consonant directly in the root of the second word.


> interesting to hear that */bodrej/* means 'cheerful'


Um... It may be an off-topic, but please, use either phonematic or phonetic transcription, but not something average.  The problem is when a Russian reads "bodrej" in common Roman alphabet, he'll most likely read it as bodr*e*y [bʌdɾ'*e*j] - i.e. as the short form of the adverb "more cheerfully". There is really no need to write "e" in each place where a Russian just unwittingly swallows some unstressed vowels. 


> - wake (2d1): how can you use /khranit/ ? Keeping as in preserving, safeguarding? What can one 'khranit', if I may ask?


Khran*i*t' [хɾʌn'*i*t'] isn't a total equialent of "to keep", but is quite similar and have some basic meanings:
1. to keep = to store (somewhere)
He keeps a gun in his house. - Он *хранит* у себ*я* д*о*ма ружь*ё*.
Medicines must be stored in a cool place - Лек*а*рства сл*е*дует *хранить* (inf.) в прохл*а*дном м*е*сте.
2. to keep = to preserve (i.e. to keep smth. existant)
to keep up family traditions - хран*и*ть сем*е*йные трад*и*ции
to keep a secret - хран*и*ть т*а*йну
to keep silence - хран*и*ть тишин*у*
to keep smth. in one's memory - хран*и*ть что-л. в п*а*мяти


> wake (2d3) : can that be negative as in 'ambush' ?


The verb can be used this way - not in a military language, though, only in a common speach. The noun cannot.


> - wake (2d4): you are referring to our _watchman_ thread, you mean ?


Yes.


> - watch (3b/c): are you suggesting an etymological link with 2c/d ?


Um... in what language?  There were no Russian verbs mentioned in 3b/c.
P.S.: The verbs "смотреть" and "наблюдать" just have nothing to do with guards and sleep (unlike English "to watch"), so I made a redirect to other Russian verbs, synonymous to the verb "to wake" in some of its meanings.


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## ThomasK

Phonetic: I had hoped it was not necessary, because it requires other symbols.
2d1: the word does have quite the common meanings of to keep. 
2d3: I am quite surprised here; doesn't that imply that it has a basic non-military meaning, but then: which? I mean: I generally stand and wait, only when I want to surprise someone (as in ambush) I'd lie... ;-)
3b/c : misunderstanding on my behalf, I am sorry !


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## Awwal12

> Phonetic: I had hoped it was not necessary, because it requires other symbols.


Well, so use transliteration (by the way, I usually use it instead of phonematic transcription myself) and don't worry.  "Bodryi" or even "bodriy" will do perfectly. Transliteration "bodry" is theoretically possible, but it creates a little mess, because the word "бодр*ы*" (short form of attr. "cheerful" in plural) will be transliterated in the same way.


> 2d3: I am quite surprised here; doesn't that imply that it has a basic non-military meaning, but then: which? I mean: I generally stand and wait, only when I want to surprise someone (as in ambush) I'd lie... ;-)


Well, here is an example:
A ruffian *was waylaying* her in the street. — Хулиган *караулил *её на улице. (Another verbs are also possible, of course.)

As for military terms, the word "зас*а*да" /zas*a*da/ (an ambush) should be used here. It is an old derivation from the verb "саж*а*ть" /sazh*a*t'/ (to seat smb.).
"To ambush" will be "сидеть в засаде" /sid*e*t' v zas*a*de/ (lit. "to sit in ambush"), "устраивать засаду" /ustr*a*ivat' zas*a*du/ (lit. ~ "to make an ambush") or "атаковать/нападать из засады" - atakov*a*t'/napad*a*t' iz zas*a*dy (lit. "to attack from an ambush"), depending on the context.


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## Mauricet

In French, "to wait" is _attendre_ (from Latin _attendere_) which previously meant "to watch", a lost meaning that survives in _attendu que_ (in court judgments).


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## ThomasK

Can I ask what 'tendre' means precisely? To watch as seeing or keeping? 

I also thought of _*regarder*_ and _*garder*_ (look at and watch), or doesn't that make sense ?


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## enoo

French:

"tendre" can mean to extend, stretch. (and "attendre would be stretch toward)
(Does "attendu que" still mean more or less "to watch"? To me the two are not really related.) 

The latin "_attendere"_  also gave "to attend" in English ... and "attention" too (maybe that's what Mauricet meant with "watch", paying attention to something?)

And yes, regarder and garder are related (obviously  in writting, and more or less on meaning ) Just to clear a little bit your translations:
*Regarder*: To watch/look/look at.
*Garder*: To watch, to guard/watch over/look after.

And the last one :
*Réveiller*: to wake (someone)
*Veiller*: to stay up/awake, or to watch over.

Re- is supposed to mean "again, anew", I can understand its use in *ré*veiller (to be in the awaken state 'again'), but its use in *re*garder is not really clear to me.


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## Mauricet

enoo said:


> French:
> 
> "tendre" can mean to extend, stretch. (and "attendre would be stretch toward)
> (Does "attendu que" still mean more or less "to watch"? To me the two are not really related.)
> 
> The latin "_attendere"_  also gave "to attend" in English ... and "attention" too (maybe that's what Mauricet meant with "watch", paying attention to something?)


From CNRTL, at the end of article _attendre_: Emprunté au latin _attendere_ "tendre vers, être attentif à, porter son attention sur", d'où les sens de l'ancien et moyen français "aspirer à, prêter attention à, considérer que [conservés dans le participe passé _attendu_]" attestés du XIIIe au XVe siècle ...


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## ThomasK

The interesting thing at least is that we get all kinds of (unexpected) associations with the concept of waiting...


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## mataripis

Tagalog: Wait= Maghintay/Mag abang,  Wake= Gumising, Watch= Magmatyag   (no link)


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## ThomasK

Long time ago, but I just checked on Finnish and no resemblance either. Just wondering whether Chinese or Japanese would not have a resemblance, though of course the phenomenon seems to be typical of Germanic languages, nothing else. Yet, watching and guarding seem intrinsically linked.

Would 810sr be around?


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## Dymn

Verbs:
_*Atendre*_: to take care (of a sick person), to attend (a customer)
_*Despertar*_-*se*: to wake up
*Esperar*: to wait, to hope
_*Guaitar*_: to look, to watch
*Guardar*: to keep, to maintain
*Mirar*: to look, to watch
*Vetllar*: to look after, to watch over
*Vigilar*: to watch over

Nouns:
*Espera*: wait, period of waiting
*Esperança*: hope
*Guarda*: guard (_guarda forestal: _forest warden)
*Guardià*: guardian, guard
_*Guàrdia*_: guard
*Revetlla*: party at the street, specially in Saint John
*Vetlla*: vigil, wake (of a dead person)
*Vigília*: day before, eve, wakefulness


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## momai

In Arabic waiting and seeing are clearly related.In fact waiting is a derivative of seeing.
to see ,to look at =naZara نظر
to wait =intaZara انتظر
The word for doorman in Syrian Arabic is also built using the Aramaic cognate naTar which by the way means to guard.
doorman= ناطور


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## ThomasK

Very interesting!

As for Catalan: the diversity seems intriguing to me. But in the meantime I have found out that *guard*- is based on Frankish, on the 'root *wer- (4), meaing: "perceive, watch out for" (cognates: Latin _vereri_ "to observe with awe, revere, respect, fear",  Greek _ouros,_ "a guard, watchman," and possibly _horan,_ "to see'.  *Esperar*, "to wait", always seems strange to me because I do not really associate the "root meaning", "to hope", with waiting, more like looking forward to, vbut that is of course some kind of personal feeling. I wonder if "*vettlar*"  could be linked with the French _guetter_, "to abide, to wait"...


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## ThomasK

mataripis said:


> Tagalog: Wait= Maghintay/Mag abang,  Wake= Gumising, Watch= Magmatyag   (no link)


Waking is something like being awake, isn't it?

Now, Google T suggests two different verbs when starting from Dutch: *maghintay, panoorin, tumingin* - or
whe starting from English: _*maghintay*_, *pagpupuyat* for being awake, and then *panoorin* again, but for watching now (which might be time-related, as is suggested when trying to translate back).

I  know very well Google T often "works in mysterious ways", and this may all be somehow wrong, so I am not calling your command of Tagalog in question, but would you be able to comment on these differences (and parallels)? Thanks in advance!


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## Scholiast

Greetings

All very interesting, but to go back to ThomasK's initial question here...


ThomasK said:


> The two/ three are *semantically related*. I had been wondering about whether the Dutch *'waken' (to wake)* > *bewaken (guard)* and *'wachten' (to wait)* were also etymologically linked, and that seems to be the case


This putative etymological link looks all wrong to me, in the light of the cognate, but from each other distinct, German verbs _wachen_, _warten_ and _wecken_, whether compounded (_bewachen_, _erwarten_, _erwecken _&c.) or not.
Σ


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## ThomasK

I am quite ready to plead guilty of wishful thinking, but etymologiebank.nl suggests links between _waken_ and _wacht(en)_, and links with "to watch"...


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## Red Arrow

Shouldn't *wake* be ''wekken'' (to wake someone) or ''ontwaken'' (stop sleeping) in Dutch?
I know wekken and waken have the same roots, but it's not really the same.

In Swedish it's ''väcka'' (to wake someone) and ''vakna'' (stop sleeping).


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## ThomasK

You are right, RA, but I had been thinking of the _waken_ meaning because it is intransitive or at least does not require a DO as such, which wekken does. _Wekken_ is the causative form of _waken_, to be awake.


Red Arrow :D said:


> Shouldn't *wake* be ''wekken'' (to wake someone) or ''ontwaken'' (stop sleeping) in Dutch?
> I know wekken and waken have the same roots, but it's not really the same.
> 
> In Swedish it's ''väcka'' (to wake someone) and ''vakna'' (stop sleeping).


 So _wekken_ and _ontwaken_, I'd say.


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## Sardokan1.0

ThomasK said:


> Very interesting!
> 
> As for Catalan: the diversity seems intriguing to me. But in the meantime I have found out that *guard*- is based on Frankish, on the 'root *wer- (4), meaing: "perceive, watch out for" (cognates: Latin _vereri_ "to observe with awe, revere, respect, fear",  Greek _ouros,_ "a guard, watchman," and possibly _horan,_ "to see'.  *Esperar*, "to wait", always seems strange to me because I do not really associate the "root meaning", "to hope", with waiting, more like looking forward to, vbut that is of course some kind of personal feeling. I wonder if "*vettlar*"  could be linked with the French _guetter_, "to abide, to wait"...




Vettlar reminds the Italian "Vegliare", used in the same way of Catalan, Vettla = Veglia, it should be from the Latin "vigilare"

*Italian :*



Spoiler



Verbs:
_*Attendere*_: to wait, to take care of a sick person (antiquated)
_*Svegliarsi*_: to wake up
_*Alzarsi :*_ to stand up from the bed, chair, etc.etc.
*Aspettare*: to wait
_*Sperare *_: to hope
_*Guardare*_: to look, to watch
*Fare la guardia *: to keep, to maintain, to guard
*Mirare*: to aim
*Ammirare :* to admire
*Vegliare*: to look after, to watch over
*Vigilare*: to watch over

Nouns:
*Attesa*: wait, period of waiting
*Speranza*: hope
*Guàrdia*: guard, guardian
*Veglia*: vigil, wake (of a dead person)
*Vigília*: day before, eve, wakefulness



*Sardinian :*



Spoiler



Verbs:
_*Attendere *_: to take care of a sick person / children, to attend a customer
_*Ischidàre, S'ind'ischidàre*_ : to wake up (Latin "Excitare")
*Pesare, S'inde pesare *: to stand up from the bed, chair, etc.etc.
*Aispettare, Aisettare, Ispettare *: to wait
*Isperare *: to hope
*Abbaidàre *: to look, to watch (reminds the Catalan "Guaitar"; the transformation from G to B happened in many verbs and nouns in northern Sardinian)
*Bardiàre *: to keep, to maintain, to guard
*Mirare *: to aim, to look (rare), it's used as exclamation : "Mira!" (be careful, watch out!) Mirade! (plural), often abbreviated : Mi!
*Ammirare *: to admire
*Vizare, Bizare* : to look after, to watch over (the Z is pronounced like DZ)


Nouns :

*Attesa *: wait, period of waiting (rare)
*Isperantzia *: hope
*Bàrdia, 'Àrdia* : guard, guardian
*Viza, Biza* : vigil, wake of a dead person
*Vizadòrzu, Vizadòriu, Bizadòrzu* : vigil / wake for a Saint (Latin "vigilatorium")
*Vigília : *day before, eve, wakefulness (neologism)


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## Dymn

ThomasK said:


> I wonder if "*vettlar*" could be linked with the French _guetter_, "to abide, to wait"...


_Vetllar _comes from Latin _vigilare, _as Sardokan has pointed out. _Vetllar _and _vigilar _are a doublet then. As for _guetter _it has the same origin as Catalan _guaitar _and English _wait_, which is Germanic.


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## berndf

Scholiast said:


> Greetings
> 
> All very interesting, but to go back to ThomasK's initial question here...
> 
> This putative etymological link looks all wrong to me, in the light of the cognate, but from each other distinct, German verbs _wachen_, _warten_ and _wecken_, whether compounded (_bewachen_, _erwarten_, _erwecken _&c.) or not.
> Σ


Dutch _wachten _- English _wait _are indeed cognate. German _wachen _is broadly related but not cognate. The German noun _Wacht _is the closest thing to a cognate.
Dutch _waken_, English _wake_ and German _wachen_ are cognate.


ThomasK said:


> You are right, RA, but I had been thinking of the _waken_ meaning because it is intransitive or at least does not require a DO as such, which wekken does. _Wekken_ is the causative form of _waken_, to be awake.


Right. In English the base and causative forms are merged (_wake_). German has base=_wachen_ and causative=_wecken_.


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## Penyafort

The Latin and Germanic forms in the Romance languages intertwine in an interesting way indeed:

*WEG'- (Proto-Indo-European) [ > _Germanic >> English *WATCH*, *WAKE *_]
​> Latin *VIG*·IL·ARE - _to watch, keep a vigil_

Italian: *vegliare *[veʎ'ʎaɾe]
French: *veiller *[ve'je]
Catalan: *vetllar *[bəʎ'ʎa]
Spanish: *velar *[be'laɾ]
Portuguese: *velar *[ve'laR]

_The cultism *vigilar*(*e*) is used in Pt., Sp., Ct. (and It.) for 'to watch, keep an eye on'. 
But SUPERVIGILARE for Fr. and It.: *surveiller *, *sorvegliare*_

*DIS·VIGIL·ARE , *EX·VIGIL·ARE 

Italian: *svegliare*
French: *éveiller *(> *réveiller*)
Catalan: *desvetllar*
Spanish: *desvelar*
Portuguese: *desvelar
*
_It., Fr. and Ct. meaning 'to awaken', Sp. and Pt. meaning 'not allow to sleep'
_​Then, from the Germanic *WAHT-.n (> _English _*WAIT*)

Italian: *guatare*
French: (a)guaiter/gaitier > *guetter*
Catalan: *guaitar* _or _*aguaitar*
Spanish: *aguaitar*

They mainly mean "watch", specially with the meaning of "spy on". Only the French and Catalan forms are really used.​But probably the most fruitful is the group coming from Germanic *WARD-.n (> _English _*WARD*)

Italian: *guardare*
French: *garder*
Catalan: *guardar*
Spanish: *guardar*
Portuguese: *guardar
*
They meant 'watch, look', but they have ended up meaning mostly 'to look after, keep, protect from'.

With prefix ES-, for 'to look, to consider': 

Italian: *sguardo *'look, gaze' (noun)
French: *égard *'consideration' (noun)
Catalan: *esguardar *'look, behold, consider', *esguard *'look, gaze, consideration' (noun)​With prefix A-, for 'to wait':

Portuguese: *aguardar*
Spanish: *aguardar
*​With prefix RE-:

Italian: *riguardare *'look at again, review, concern', n. *riguardo*
French: *regarder *'look at, concern', n. *regard *'look, gaze'
Catalan: *reguardar *'look (with fear or mistrust)', n. *reguard
*​With RES-, meaning 'to protect, guard':

Catalan: *resguardar*, n. *resguard*
Spanish: *resguardar*, n. *resguardo*
Portuguese: *resguardar*, n. *resguardo*​


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## ThomasK

Greet information. I might try to add some references to Germanic languages to have the whole picture, but you have done great work!


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## 123xyz

Macedonian:

*бдее* (bdee) - be/remain awake (vigil)
*буди* (budi) - wake, rouse (cognate to the above)
*чека* (čeka) - wait
*чува *(čuva) *- *guard, keep, protect
*пази *(pazi) *- *guard, be careful, protect
*варди *(vardi) *- *guard, protect (cognate with English "guard" and "ward")
*гледа* (gleda) - watch, see, keep an eye on

No etymological connections between any of these terms, except the first two, which are very close semantically, since the second is the causative of the first one (semantically, and maybe morphologically, but I don't know about causatives in the history of Slavic languages, so I can't make any claims).


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## ThomasK

I am a little surprised but of course that is due to some bias: that Germanic languages (and ...) seem to refer to some "semantic logic" and that I then suppose it will work in many more languages. I did find more similarities in the concept of explaining.


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## 810senior

No relevancy in Japanese.

to wait - matsu
to wake - samasu - sameru(intr. wake) + su(causative)
to watch - miru or nagameru


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