espy

verb

1. (transitive)To find out or observe (someone or something, especially if not easy to see) by spying or looking; to catch sight of; to see; to spot.

   “to espy land    to espy a man in a crowd”

   “No wyse man entreth in to a gardein but he sone espiethe good herbes from nettiles, and treadeth the nettiles under his feete whiles he gadreth good herbes.”

   “For with ſuch puiſſance and impetuous maine / Thoſe Champions broke on them, that forſt the fly, / Like ſcattered Sheepe, whenas the Shepherds ſwaine / A Lyon and a Tigre doth eſpye, / With greedy pace forth ruſhing from the foreſt nye.”

   “[T]hou eſpyedſt a poore drunken Begger (his belly beeing full) heyghing, leaping and dauncing, fetching ſtrange youthfull friskes, & taking care for nothing.”

   “[T]he Lark (poore bird!) afarre eſpi'th / Her yet unfeather'd children (vvhom to ſave / She ſtrives in vain) ſlain by the fatall ſithe, / VVhich from the medovv her green locks doth ſhave, / That their vvarm neſt is novv become their grave; […]”

2. (transitive)To see (someone or something) without foreplanning or unexpectedly.

   “[…] I chaunced to eſpie thys foraſyde Peter talkynge wyth a certeyne ſtraunger a man well ſtryken in age wyth a blake sonne burned face, a longe bearde and a cloke catſe homely about hys ſhoulders, whom by hys fauour & apparrel forthwythe I iudged to be a maryner.”

   “Come on my Lords the better foot before, / Straight vvill I bring you to the lothſome pit, / VVhere I eſpied the Panther faſt a ſleepe.”

   “And as one of them opened his ſacke, to giue his aſſe prouender in the Inne, he eſpied his money: for behold, it was in his ſackes mouth.”

   “[T]heir came tovvards me one of theſe ſeemingly deuout Abdals, in his ſheeps skin & horne about his necke and bare-footed, eſpying me, hee bleſt himſelfe and ſuddenly began to mutter his prayer to Mahomet vvith feruent ardencie, […]”

   “After a long time the master turned about and walked into the cabin and, there espying Philip Marsham, he smiled and said, ‘‘I was remiss. I had forgotten you.” He threw aside the cloak that lay on the chair and sat down.”

3. (obsolete, transitive)To observe (someone or something) as a spy; also, to examine or observe (someone or something) carefully; or to look out or watch for.

   “Novv queſtion me no more vve are eſpied, / Here comes a parcell of our hopefull bootie, / VVhich dreads not yet their liues deſtruction.”

   “Fortie yeeres olde was I when Moſes the ſeruant of the Lord ſent me from Kadeſh Barnea, to eſpie out the land, and I brought him worde againe, as it was in mine heart.”

   “VVe keep company vvith Harlots and polluted perſons: vve are kind to all Gods Enemies, and love that vvhich he hates: […] And therefore God is inquiſitive; he looks for that vvhich he fain vvould never finde; God ſets ſpies upon us; he looks upon us himſelf through the Curtains of a cloud; and he ſends Angels to eſpie us in all our vvayes, […]”

4. (obsolete, transitive)To become aware of (a fact, information, etc.).

   “If being the Commander of an army, thou eſpieſt a groſſe and manifeſt error in thine Enemy, look vvell to thy ſelfe, for treachery is not farre off: Hee vvhom deſire of victory binds too much, is apt to ſtumble at his ovvne Ruine.”

   “VVhat faults ſoever Thou eſpieſt here, / Fall to, and make thee merry vvith the Cheer.”

   “O Moſt and Gracious Father, the ſearcher of all hearts; vvho ſeeſt my dovvn-lying as vvell as up riſing, darkneſs and light being both alike to thee; vvho art near unto all my vvays, and eſpyeſt my thoughts vvhile they are yet afar off, I have here ſet my ſelf before thee to pay my evening homage, […]”

5. (archaic, intransitive)To observe as a spy, to spy; also, to examine or observe carefully; or to look out or watch.

   “O inhabitant of Aroer, ſtand by the way, and eſpie; aſke him that fleeth, and her that eſcapeth, and ſay, VVhat is done?”

   “[H]eedful be his eye, / And firm his step, who on the dark edge [of a peak] stands / Beneath the cloud, and downward dares espy.”

noun

1. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)An act of finding out or observing by spying or looking; an espial or espying.

   “Howe the right and lawes of the land / Were execute, and who durſt take in hand / To diſobey his ſtatutes and decrees, / If they were well kept in all countrees: / Of theſe he made ſubtile inueſtigation / Of his owne eſpie, and other mens relation.”

   “When as the Eagle, Ioves great bird, did ſee her enemy, / Sharpe warre in th' ayre with beake ſhe did prepare / Gainſt Serpent feeding in the wood, after eſpy / Cauſe it her egges and young fiercely in peeces tare.”

2. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)A scout or spy.

   “Hobomak as confidently aſſured vs it was falſe, and ſent his vvife as an eſpy to ſee; […]”

3. (obsolete, uncountable)The act or process of learning secret information through clandestine means; espionage.

name

1. (countable, uncountable)A surname.
2. (countable, uncountable)A census-designated place in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States.