Oct 15 2019 27
Reveille is a noun that means a signal to get out of bed.
In addition to providing the origin of our word of the day, Latin word vigilare (vij uh ARE ay) meaning ‘to keep watch’ and ‘to stay awake’ has given us vigil, vigilant and vigilante.
In the armed forces, our word of the day refers to a bugle whose sound is intended to wake up the soldiers from sleep. But the civilians among us may also get a reveille in the form of a wake-up phone call or the ring of an alarm clock.
Jason’s call at four am may not have been intended as a reveille, but it certainly served that purpose. After hearing his loud, hostile voice, I was awake for the day.
