wakenEnglishOxford Dictionary of Englishwaken /ˈweɪk(ə)n / ▸ verb another term for wake (sense 1 of the verb)1:[no object] she knew he would waken in an hour or so [with object] she wakened the child and dressed her they combined to waken a forgotten and futile hope figurative. – ORIGIN Old English wæcnan ‘be aroused’, of Germanic origin; related to wake1.