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espy

[ ih-spahy ]
/ ɪˈspaɪ /
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verb (used with object), es·pied, es·py·ing.
to see at a distance; catch sight of.
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Origin of espy

1175–1225; Middle English espyen<Old French espier ≪ Germanic; compare German spähen to spy

OTHER WORDS FROM espy

un·es·pied, adjective

Other definitions for espy (2 of 2)

Espy
[ es-pee ]
/ ˈɛs pi /

noun
James Pol·lard [pol-erd], /ˈpɒl ərd/, 1785–1860, U.S. meteorologist.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use espy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for espy

espy
/ (ɪˈspaɪ) /

verb -pies, -pying or -pied
(tr) to catch sight of or perceive (something distant or previously unnoticed); detectto espy a ship on the horizon

Derived forms of espy

espier, noun

Word Origin for espy

C14: from Old French espier to spy, of Germanic origin
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

Scientific definitions for espy

Espy
[ ĕspē ]
James Pollard 1785-1860

American meteorologist who is credited with the first correct explanation of the role heat plays in cloud formation and growth. His use of the telegraph in relaying meteorological observations and tracking storms laid the foundation for modern weather forecasting.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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