espial
Americannoun
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the act of spying.
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the act of keeping watch; observation.
noun
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the act or fact of being seen or discovered
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the act of noticing
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the act of spying upon; secret observation
Etymology
Origin of espial
1350–1400; Middle English espiaille < Middle French. See espy, -al 2
Vocabulary lists containing espial
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She did not intend an espial upon Anthony; the question was born of pain and bewilderment.
From A Man's Hearth by Eleanor M. (Eleanor Marie) Ingram
Not caring to be observed in his clandestine espial he drew back a little, still keeping the figure of the girl in sight, and listened to the music.
From Aunt Rachel by David Christie Murray
Her system of espial is even more minute and irritating than that of Russia.
From The Destroyer A Tale of International Intrigue by Burton Egbert Stevenson
The system of espial, too, was carried out with increased severity.
From The Life of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France by Charles Duke Yonge
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 Francis Lynde
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
