espial

American  

[ih-spahy-uhl] / ɪˈspaɪ əl /

noun

1. the act of spying.

2. the act of keeping watch; observation.

---

espial British  

/ ɪˈspaɪəl /

noun

1. the act or fact of being seen or discovered

2. the act of noticing

3. the act of spying upon; secret observation

---

Etymology

Origin of espial

1350–1400; Middle English espiaille < Middle French. See espy, -al ²

Example Sentences

It was even possible, he thought, that, if she had not herself seen Cecily, some one in her employment had made the espial for her.

From The Emancipated by Gissing, George

How could he keep an espial on the house?

From Will Warburton by Gissing, George

I saw not what was to be gained by any such long-range espial in the darkness.

From The Master of Appleby A Novel Tale Concerning Itself in Part with the Great Struggle in the Two Carolinas; but Chiefly with the Adventures Therein of Two Gentlemen Who Loved One and the Same Lady by Lynde, Francis

At last, safe from every chance of espial, she sat down again in her chair before the desk, leaned her elbows on the desk, and looked desperately, miserably, into the joyous face of the picture.

From Stories That End Well An Adventure in Altruria——Through the Terrors of the Law——The Real Thing——The Old Partisan——Max—Or His Picture——The Stout Miss Hopkins' Bicycle——The Spellbinder——The Object of the Federation——The Little Lonely Girl——The Hero of Company G——A Miracle Play by Thanet, Octave

Then Wisdom altered its method and spoke of espial and discovery.

From The Picture of Dorian Gray by Wilde, Oscar