▪ I. † eˈscry, n. Obs.
[f. escry v. See the variant forms ascry, scry.]
a. Outcry, exclamation; notoriety. b. Battle-cry. lit. and fig.
| 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour L v, Suche dishonour and escry is not soone put oute. 1489 ― Faytes of A. i. xxiv. 75 The lasse bolde are wont for to gyue vp the escrye by-fore that the bataylle be bygonne. 1515 Barclay Egloges iv. (1570) Dj/1 Faynt cowarde mindes soone at the first escry Of sturdie labour, fall to the grounde as lame. 1538 Leland Itin. VI. 66 Gaspar..durst not welle land for Escryes that were made when he proferid to the Shore. |
▪ II. † eˈscry, v. Obs.
Forms: 5–6 escrye, 7 escrie.
[a. OF. escrie-r, f. es:—L. ex out + crier to cry. The earlier Eng. form from 13th c. was ascry, prob. representing an AF. ascrier; and there was an aphetic scry, q.v.]
1. intr. To cry out, exclaim.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 84/1 Thenne one of them escryed and said, etc. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lv. 185 He escryed a hye & sayd ‘Syr Kynge’, etc. |
2. trans. To call out to, hail; also, to call upon, invoke.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 121/2 Put out thy voys and escrye hym frely. 1485 ― Chs. Gt. 77 He..began to escrye the holy trynyte. c 1530 Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 112 He spurred horse and escryed the senesshall. |
b. to escry him, them, etc. to or unto death, used to translate Fr. lui, leur escrier ‘à mort!’ or ‘à la mort!’
| 1475 Caxton Jason 8 b, And syn they escried alle the dronken centauris unto the dethe. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccclxxxvi. 659 They were enclosed with the gauntoyse, who escryed them to dethe. |
3. trans. = descry: to cry out upon on discovering; hence to espy, discover. Also, with out.
| 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 100 Vouchsafe there⁓fore a good felowshyp (Osorius) to escry out one safe Haven for us. 1581 J. Studley tr. Seneca's Medea iii. Cho. 127 b, Some travelers shall the Countreys farre escrye Beyond small Thule, Knowen furthest at this day. 1598 Hakluyt Voy. I. 596 (R.) At the same time the Spanish fleet was escried by an English Pinasse. 1625 Purchas Pilgrims II. 775 From hence you may plainly escrie the promontory of Azaphi. |