Vigile

Vigile is an Italian noun meaning guard or watchman. It derives from the Latin vigilis, meaning watchful or awake, and is related to words such as vigilia and vigil. In contemporary Italian, vigile describes a person who keeps watch, enforces rules, or maintains public order.

In modern usage, vigile commonly refers to a police officer in a broad sense, though the formal term for a state police officer is poliziotto. More specific titles include vigile urbano for a municipal police officer and vigile del traffico for a traffic warden or traffic police. The word is also used in compound titles such as vigile del fuoco, where it denotes a firefighter, though in that context the standard designation is simply vigile del fuoco.

Historically, vigili urbani were local guards responsible for civil order, public safety, and municipal regulation. From the late 20th century onward, many Italian municipalities adopted official designations such as polizia locale or polizia municipale, while the traditional term vigile remains common in everyday speech and in some official titles and traditions. The term continues to appear in phrases and roles related to public security at the local level and in occupational names.

Outside Italy, cognates and related meanings exist in other Romance languages, where forms related to vigile can denote security guards or watchmen. In Italian, however, vigile remains a flexible term tied to guarding, policing, and local public order, with its precise meaning varying by context.