▪ I. † eˈspy, n. Obs.
Also 5 esspie, 3–5 aspy. See also spy.
[a. OF. espie, f. espier: see espy, spy vbs. Cf. Sp. espia, It. spia.]
1. The action of espying; espial, espionage.
| c 1386 Chaucer Melib. ¶60 In such a wyse that thou ne wante noon espye ne wacche thy body for to save. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 2588 Of here espie no thing thei wist. 1598 Hakluyt Voy. I. 203 Of these he made subtile inuestigation Of his owne espie, and other mens relation. 1607 Topsell Serpents (1653) 712 The Eagle..Sharp war..did prepare Gainst Serpent..after espy. |
b. In Wyclif the form aspye occurs often in the sense ‘snare, ambush’.
| [c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 363 Aspies þat þe fend haþ leid. 1382 ― Ex. xxi. 13 If eny man of avysement sle his neiȝbour and by aspyes. 1388 ― Gen. iii. 15 Thou schalt sette aspies to hir heele.] |
2. concr. [cf. sentinel, watch, etc.] A spy.
| c 1450 Merlin xxviii. 575 The saisnes it wisten by theire esspies that thei hadde through the countrey. 1564 Haward Eutropius ii. 14 Hee had apprehended the espyes of Pirrhus. 1598 R. Barckley Felic. Man ii. (1603) 111, I am indeede an espie of thy covetousnesse and madnesse. 1624 Capt. Smith Virginia vi. 235 [He] sent his wife as an espy to see. 1656 Hobbes Liberty, Necess., & C. (1841) 112 This argument was sent forth only as an espy, to make a more full discovery. |
▪ II. espy, v.
(ɪˈspaɪ)
Forms: 4–7 espie, -ye, 5– espy. Also aspy.
[a. OF. espie-r (mod.F. épier), corresp. to Pr. and Sp. espiar, It. spiare:—Com. Romanic *spiāre, ad. OHG. spehôn (Ger. spähen) to spy. Cf. L. specĕre, Gr. σκέπτεσθαι to look.]
† 1. trans. To act as a spy upon, to watch (a person); to inspect as a spy (sometimes with out); to examine closely. Also, to watch for, look out for. Obs.
| [c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 37 Tille wikked men scho spak, Edward to aspie.] c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. i. 105 But thicke and drie [sc. land] espie [printed espy]. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ii. (1520) 10 b/1 Brute anone sende of his men to lande for to espye the maner of the countree. 1552 Huloet, Espye or waite a time, aucupari tempus. a 1555 Latimer Serm. & Rem. (1845) 304 To espy and search his land. 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. ii. iii. 48 Now question me no more, we are espied. 1590 Greene Fr. Bacon Wks. (ed. Rtldg.) 154/2 Espy her loves, and who she liketh best. 1611 Bible Josh. xiv. 7 Moses..sent me from Kadesh Barnea, to espie out the land. a 1667 Jer. Taylor (Ogilvie), He sends angels to espy us in all our ways. |
b. absol. or intr. To look steadily, watch, keep a look out; to act as a spy. arch.
| c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 254 With that word Arcite gan espye Wher as this lady romed to and fro. 1513 Douglas æneis viii. iii. 134 Evander..espying wyth his sicht. 1565–73 Cooper Thesaurus, Episcopius, a brigantine or ship sent out to espie. 1611 Bible Jer. xlviii. 19 Stand by the way and espie. 1846 Keble Lyra Innoc. (1873) 42 [He] on the dark edge stands..and downward dares espy. |
† c. (trans. In ME. form aspy: To lie in wait for; also absol.)
| c 1225 Ancr. R. 196, I ðe wildernesse heo aspieden us to slean. 1382 Wyclif Acts xxiii. 21 More than fourty men of hem aspien him [Vulg. insidiantur ei]. |
2. trans. To discover by spying or by looking out; to catch sight of; to descry, discern, discover (what is distant or partly hidden); to detect (a fault, flaw, etc.); to discern (a convenient time or opportunity). † Formerly sometimes with out. † Also, to discern from.
| c 1320 Seuyn Sag. (W.) 1796 Yif thou dost a folie, Thi louerd hit wil sone espie. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame ii. 198 [It were impossible] How that..he [Fame] shulde here al this Or they [his spies] espie hyt. c 1460 La Belle Dame sanz mercy 88 in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866) 55 But tweyne þat were my frendis here before had me espied. 1486 Bk. St. Albans D ij, She [the hawk] espith theym and commyth couerte her selfe. 1531 Elyot Gov. i. xiii, He sone espiethe good herbes from nettiles. 1543–4 Act. 35 Hen. VIII, c. 5 A time may be espied to haue them..by malice conuicted. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osorius 462 Whose prophane blasphemy some merry conceited man espyeng out, opened the Caskett privily. 1666 Bunyan Grace Ab. 24 If I could in any place espy a word of promise. 1726 Swift Gulliver i. i. 21 The seamen espied a rock within half a cable's length of the ship. 1788 Wesley Wks. (1872) VI. 375 These skilful wrestlers espy the smallest slip we make. 1817 Coleridge Sibyl. Leaves (1862) 280 Can she the bodiless dead espy? 1847 L. Hunt Jar Honey ix, We all, like Moses, should espy, Ev'n in a bush, the radiant Deity. 1877 Black Green Past. xliii, Who was trying to espy a squirrel. |
b. To perceive by chance or unexpectedly.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 373/3 A man came for to take water & espyed the deed chylde. 1551 Robinson tr. More's Utop. i. (Arb.) 29, I chaunced to espye this foresayde Peter. 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. ii. iii. 194 Where I espy'd the panther fast asleep. 1611 Bible Gen. xlii. 27 As one of them opened his sack, he espied his money. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 196 Espying me, hee blest him selfe and suddenly began to mutter his prayer to Mahomet. |
† c. To observe, perceive (a fact); with clause as obj.. Obs.
| c 1374 Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 67 Creon gan espie how that the blode riall was brought adoun. 1413 Lydg. Pilgr. Sowle iv. xx. (1483) 66 Seem..hyled his fader Noe When he espyed that naked soo was he. 1461 Paston Lett. No. 399 II. 24, I can espye some of his meny was grete cause of T.D. deth. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 129 Yf..they espye in the soule..ony feare to ryse. 1551 T. Wilson Logike ii. 73 b, The hontesman..will sone espie, when he seeth a hole, whether it be a foxe borough or not. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's answ. Osorius 463 [A supposed ‘portion of Peters Brayne’]..afterwardes being more narrowlye examined and viewed, was espyed to be a very pumeyse. |