épier

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See also: êpier

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /e.pje/
  • audio:(file)

Etymology 1

From Middle French espier, from Old French espier, from Vulgar Latin *spiāre (compare Italian spiare, Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan espiar), from Frankish *spehōn, from Proto-Germanic *spehōną (to spy), from Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- (to look). Cognate with Middle Dutch spien (to spy), German spähen (to peek, peer, spy).

Verb

épier

  1. (transitive) to spy on, keep an eye on, watch
    • 1924, Emmanuel Bove, Mes Amis[1]:
      Par les fenêtres entre-bâillées, j’épie les rez-de-chaussée. Je vois des plantes vertes qui viennent d’être arrosées, des douilles d’obus rutilantes et des lames de parquet étroites, cirées, qui font des zigzags.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  2. (transitive, dated) to watch for

Etymology 2

From Latin spicare.

Verb

épier

  1. (intransitive, agriculture) to ear
Conjugation

Anagrams

Further reading