Tuesday, March 3, 2015

awake, a wake

Awake or awake ( one word ) means not asleep, or alert and ready for action--
If he's not awake, don't disturb him.
Is the baby still awake?
You'll have to stay awake until late to get the job done.

Awake is also an old-fashioned word for "wake", meaning to wake up--
When they awake, they are usually grumpy.

A wake or a wake ( two words ) means a service held for the dead, particularly the viewing of the corpse, or sitting up with the corpse before burial--
He wants to borrow a black tie; he has to go to a wake.
There will be a wake on Monday night, and a service and burial on Tuesday.

A wake may also mean the trail of waves left behind by a ship or boat, often used figuratively--
Slow down; we're leaving a wake, and it's prohibited here.
The storm left a wake of destruction.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She plans to stay awake all night; she wants a wake like the ones she remembers from long ago."

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