deathwatch
1 of 2noun (1)
death·watch ˈdeth-ˌwäch 
: a small insect that makes a ticking sound
especially : deathwatch beetle
deathwatch
2 of 2noun (2)
1
: a vigil kept over the dead or dying
2
: the guard set over a criminal to be executed
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
death + watch (timepiece); from the superstition that its ticking presages death
Noun (2)
death + watch (vigil)
First Known Use
Noun (1)
1646, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
circa 1676, in the meaning defined at sense 1