espy
Other forms: espied; espying; espies
To espy something is to see it, or glimpse it. If you look through binoculars long enough, you might espy a colorful bird.
Though you can use the verb espy whenever you want to say "see," "spot," or "notice," it's primarily a literary word that you'll mostly find in books. One character might espy another strolling in a garden, or a pipe-smoking detective might espy a clue behind a parlor door. Espy comes from the Old French espiier, "observe, watch or spy on," from a Germanic root.
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catch sight of
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Vocabulary lists containing espy
In this comedy, two Athenian couples and a troupe of actors become unwitting pawns in a squabble between a fairy king and queen.
As you read William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation," learn this word list. Here are links to lists for texts in Grade 11's Collection 1: Of Plymouth Plantation, Coming of Age in the Dawnland, The Tempest, Balboa, 'Blaxicans' and Other Reinvented Americans