Dictionary.com

descry

[ dih-skrahy ]
/ dɪˈskraɪ /
See synonyms for descry on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), de·scried, de·scry·ing.

to see (something unclear or distant) by looking carefully; discern; espy: The lookout descried land.
to discover; ascertain; detect.

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Origin of descry

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English descrien, from Old French de(s)crïer “to proclaim, decry”; see dis-1, cry

OTHER WORDS FROM descry

de·scri·er, nounun·de·scried, adjectiveun·de·scry·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH descry

decry, descry

Words nearby descry

descriptive notation, descriptive statistics, descriptivism, descriptivist, descriptor, descry, Desdemona, desecrate, desecration, deseed, desegregate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to descry

disclose, reveal, detect, determine, spot, perceive, note, espy, see, observe, sight, behold, discern

Example sentences from the Web for descry

British Dictionary definitions for descry

descry
/ (dɪˈskraɪ) /

verb -scries, -scrying or -scried (tr)

to discern or make out; catch sight of
to discover by looking carefully; detect

Derived forms of descry

descrier, noun

Word Origin for descry

C14: from Old French descrier to proclaim, decry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012