▪ I. descry, v.1
(dɪˈskraɪ)
Forms: 4 discryghe, 4–6 discrye, 5 dyscry(e, 6 descrye, 6–7 descrie, discrie, 4– descry.
[app. a. OF. descrier to cry, publish, decry, f. des-, dé-, L. dis- + crier to cry.
The sense-development is not altogether clear; it was perhaps in some respect influenced by the reduction of descrive to descry (see next), and consequent confusion of the two words: cf. descrive v. 4, also describe v. 7. In several instances it is difficult to say to which of the verbs the word belongs: thus
c 1300 K. Alis. 138 For astronomye and nygremauncye No couthe ther non so muche discryghe.]
I. To cry out, declare, make known, bewray.
† 1. trans. To cry out, proclaim, announce, as a herald. Obs. rare.
[Cf. quot. 1377 in descrive v. 4.]
| a 1440 Sir Eglam. 1178 Harowdes of armes than they wente, For to dyscrye thys turnayment In eche londys ȝende. |
† 2. To announce, declare; to make known, disclose, reveal: a. of persons. b. of things. Obs.
| a. c 1460 Towneley Myst. (Surtees) 203 My name to you wille I descry. 1549–62 Sternhold & H. Ps. xxv. 3 Thy right waies unto me, Lord, descrye. 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. i. ii. i. i, At length Jupiter descried himself, and Hercules yielded. 1655–60 Stanley Hist. Philos. (1701) 290/2 Diogenes, thou..Who to content the ready way To following Ages didst descry. |
| b. c 1430 Freemasonry 323 Hyt [the seventhe poynt] dyscryeth wel opunly, Thou schal not by thy maystres wyf ly. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. x. 34 Whose sober lookes her wisedome well descride. a 1592 H. Smith Wks. (1867) II. 200 This light..doth not only descry itself, but all other things round about it. 1635 Cowley Davideis iv. 231 A thoughtful Eye That more of Care than Passion did descry. 1639 Drummond of Hawthornden Fam. Epistles Wks. (1711) 140 His cheeks scarce with a small down descrying his sex. |
† c. With a sense of injurious revelation: To disclose what is to be kept secret; to betray, bewray; to lead to the discovery of. Obs.
| c 1340 Cursor M. 7136 (Trin.) Þat was a greet folye hir lordes [i.e. Samson's] counsel to discrye. ? c 1475 Sqr. lowe Degre 110 Thy counsayl shall i never dyscry. 1596 Nashe Saffron Walden 131 That he be not descride by his alleadging of Authors. 1606 Holland Sueton. 90 Hee had like to have descried them [his parents] with his wrawling. 1614 Bp. Hall Recoll. Treat. 509 In notorious burglaries, oft-times there is..a weapon left behinde, which descrieth the authors. 1670 Milton Hist. Eng. 11, His purple robe he [Alectus] had thrown aside lest it should descry him. |
II. To cry out against, cry down, decry.
† 3. To shout a war-cry upon, challenge to fight; = ascry v. 1 b.
| c 1400 Rowland & O. 273 No kyng in Cristyante Dare..discrye hym ther with steven. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. cxcvii. 175 The gentil knyghtes fledden and the vileyns egrely hem discryed and grad an high ‘yelde yow traytours!’ |
† 4. To denounce, disparage; = decry v. 2. Obs.
| c 1400 York Manual (Surtees) p. xvi, We curse and descry..all thos that thys illys hase done. 1677 Gilpin Dæmonol. (1867) 407 They contemn and descry those, as ignorant of divine mysteries. |
† 5. To cry down, depreciate (coin); = decry.
| 1638 Sir R. Cotton Abstr. Rec. Tower 23 The descrying of the Coyne. |
III. To get sight of, discover, examine.
6. To catch sight of, esp. from a distance, as the scout or watchman who is ready to announce the enemy's approach; to espy.
| c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 81 Þe comlokest [lady] to discrye. c 1430 Sir Tryam. 1053, Xii fosters dyscryed hym then, That were kepars of that fee. 1569 T. Stocker tr. Diod. Sic. iii. viii. 114 He might descry a mightie and terrible Nauie..sayling towards the citie. 1605 Play Stucley in Simpson Sch. Shaks. (1878) 190 The English sentinels do keep good watch; If they descry us all our labour's lost. 1791 Cowper Iliad iii. 38 In some woodland height descrying A serpent huge. 1868 Queen Victoria Life Highl. 39 To meet Albert, whom I descried coming towards us. 1877 Black Green Past. xxxiii. (1878) 267 At intervals we descried a maple. |
7. To discover by observation; to find out, detect; to perceive, observe, see.
| c 1430 Syr. Tryam. 783 Hors and man felle downe..And sone he was dyscryed. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 491 b, There is no man..that will not easily descry..want of Judgement..in you. 1659 Hammond On Ps. xxxiv. Paraphr. 181 Being by them descryed to be David. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 290 To descry new Lands, Rivers or Mountains in her spotty Globe. 1797 Southey Ballad K. Charlemain 1 All but the Monarch could plainly descry From whence came her white and her red. 1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms ii. 582 He can descry That she is not afraid. 1862 Ld. Brougham Brit. Const. xvi. 249 The bounds which separated that school from Romanism were very difficult to descry. |
| absol. 1670 Narborough Jrnl. in Acc. Sev. Late Voy. (1711) 33, I could not see any sign of People..but still Hills and Vallies as far as we could descry. |
† b. intr. To discern, discriminate. Obs. rare.
| 1633 P. Fletcher Purple Isl. viii. viii. 108 Pure Essence, who hast made a stone descrie 'Twixt natures hid. |
† 8. trans. To investigate, spy out, explore. Obs.
| 1596 Drayton Legends iii. 175 He had iudicially descryde The cause. 1611 Bible Judg. i. 23 The house of Ioseph sent to descry Bethel. 1742 Shenstone Schoolmistress 145 Right well she knew each temper to descry. |
▪ II. † deˈscry, v.2 Obs.
[app. a variant of descryve, descrive v., partly perh. originating in the later form of the Fr. infinitive descri-re, and pres. t. descri, -cris, -crit; but mainly due to confusion in Eng. of descrive and descry (descry v.1).]
= descrive, describe.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 9747 Some of his þewes y wil descrye. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 41 In the thyrd parte ar discryed Cuthbert mirakyls. 1572 J. Bossewell Armorie ii. 63 b, This Serpente I haue descried, as wringled into a wreathe. 1613 Wither Sat., Occasion, He..descries Elenchi, full of subtile falacies. |
| absol. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 6546 Cuthbert þai chese as bede descryse. 1571 Damon & Pithias Prol. in Hazl. Dodsley IV. 12 A thing once done indeed, as histories do descry. |
▪ III. † deˈscry, discry, n. Obs.
[f. descry v.]
1. Cry, war-cry; = ascry n.
| c 1400 Rowland & O. 1476 ‘Mount Joye’ was thaire discrye. |
2. Discovery of that which is distant or obscure; perception from a distance.
| 1605 Shakes. Lear iv. vi. 217 The maine descry Stands on the hourely thought. 1611 Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. x. i. (1632) 1253 Without danger of descry. |