espy C2+ Topic:Senses & Perception US /ɪˈspaɪ/ UK /ɪˈspaɪ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to catch sight of, especially something distant or partly hidden From the ridge she espied a thin column of smoke. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to catch sight of,... spotglimpsesightdescrydiscernnoticedetect ↔ Opposites overlookmiss Word family Derived forms espial Related forms spyespionagespial Etymology AI details From Old French espier 'to spy, watch', of Germanic origin (cf. Old High German spehon), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *spek- 'to observe'. espier Old French *spek- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Senses & Perception Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # espy **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ɪˈspaɪ/ **IPA (UK):** /ɪˈspaɪ/ ## Meanings 1. to catch sight of, especially something distant or partly hidden ## Examples - From the ridge she espied a thin column of smoke. ## Synonyms - spot - glimpse - sight - descry - discern - notice - detect ## Antonyms - overlook - miss ## Derived Forms - espial ## Related Forms - spy - espionage - spial ## Roots and Affixes - Root: espier - Root: *spek- ## Etymology From Old French espier 'to spy, watch', of Germanic origin (cf. Old High German spehon), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *spek- 'to observe'. ## AI Etymology Espy is from Old French espier 'to spy, watch', of Germanic origin (cf. Old High German spehon), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *spek- 'to observe'. Important recorded forms include espier (Old French) and *spek- (Proto-Indo-European). The current sense covers to catch sight of, especially something distant or partly hidden. The wider family includes derived forms such as espial and related words such as spy, espionage, and spial. ## Topics - Senses & Perception - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown