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Added 9 October 2026

sentinel

/ˈsɛn.tɪ.nəl/ noun

In Latin: vigil, custos, excubitor First recorded: 1570 Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sentinel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event.

Origin

First attested in the 1570s from Middle French sentinelle (“watch or guard kept by a soldier”), from Old Italian sentinella, probably from sentina + -ella, from sentire (“perceive, watch, hear”), from sentiō (“feel, perceive by the senses”). See also sense, sentient.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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