descry

C2+ Topic:Senses & Perception

US /dɪˈskraɪ/ UK /dɪˈskraɪ/ See IPA manual

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to catch sight of or discern something distant or obscure

From the cliff she could just descry a sail on the horizon.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to catch sight of or... discern perceive spot espy detect glimpse notice

Opposites

overlook miss

Word family

Derived forms descrier

Related forms descrialdecry

Etymology

From Middle English descrien, from Old French descrier ('to cry out, announce, proclaim'); the sense 'catch sight of' likely conflated with descrire ('to describe'). Ultimately from Latin de- + the verb meaning 'to cry out'.

descrier Old French

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Topics

Senses & Perception Word Formation & Derivatives

# descry

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** dɪˈskraɪ
**IPA (UK):** dɪˈskraɪ

## Meanings
1. to catch sight of or discern something distant or obscure

## Examples
- From the cliff she could just descry a sail on the horizon.

## Synonyms
- discern
- perceive
- spot
- espy
- detect
- glimpse
- notice

## Antonyms
- overlook
- miss

## Derived Forms
- descrier

## Related Forms
- descrial
- decry

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: descrier

## Etymology
From Middle English descrien, from Old French descrier ('to cry out, announce, proclaim'); the sense 'catch sight of' likely conflated with descrire ('to describe'). Ultimately from Latin de- + the verb meaning 'to cry out'.

## AI Etymology
Descry is from Middle English descrien, from Old French descrier ('to cry out, announce, proclaim'); the sense 'catch sight of' likely conflated with descrire ('to describe'). Ultimately from Latin de- + the verb meaning 'to cry out'. The immediate etymological form is Old French descrier. The prefix de- often marks removal, reversal, or downward motion in Latin formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as a verb, it means "to catch sight of or discern something distant or obscure", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include descrial and decry; derived forms include descrier.

## Topics
- Senses & Perception
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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