spy

English

Etymology

From Middle English spien, aphetic variant of earlier espien (“to espy”), from Old French espier (“to spy”), from Frankish *spehōn (“to spy”), from Proto-Germanic *spehōną (“to see, look”), from Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- (“to look”). Akin to German spähen (“to spy”), Dutch spieden (“to spy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spaɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ

Noun

spy (plural spies)

1. A person who secretly watches and examines the actions of other individuals or organizations and gathers information on them (usually to gain an advantage).
   • 2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:

     Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.

Synonyms

• intelligencer
• Thesaurus:spy

Translations

person who secretly watches

• Abkhaz: please add this translation if you can
• Afrikaans: spioen
• Albanian: spiun (sq) m
• Arabic: جَاسُوس‎ m (jāsūs)

  Andalusian Arabic: دَيْسُوس‎ (daysūs)

• Armenian: լրտես (hy) (lrtes)
• Assamese: চোৰাংচোৱা (süraṅsüa)
• Avar: жасус (žasus)
• Azerbaijani: casus (az)
• Belarusian: шпіён m (špijón), шпег m (špjeh) (colloquial), шпік m (špik) (colloquial), шпіёнка f (špijónka)
• Bengali: গুপ্তচর (guptcôr), গুপ্তচর (guptôcôr)
• Bulgarian: шпио́нин (bg) m (špiónin), шпио́нка (bg) f (špiónka)
• Burmese: သူလျှို (suhlyui)
• Catalan: espia (ca) f
• Chechen: шпион (špion)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 間諜 (zh), 间谍 (zh) (jiàndié)

• Czech: vyzvědač m, špión (cs) m
• Danish: spion c
• Dutch: spion (nl) m, spionne (nl) f
• Esperanto: spiono (eo)
• Estonian: spioon
• Faroese: njósnari m
• Finnish: vakooja (fi), vakoilija (fi)
• French: espion (fr) m, espionne (fr) f
• Galician: espía m or f
• Georgian: ჯაშუში (ǯašuši), შპიონი (šṗioni), მოთვალთვალე (motvaltvale), მსტოვარი (msṭovari)
• German: Spion (de) m, Spionin (de) f
• Gothic: 𐍆𐌴𐍂𐌾𐌰 m (fērja)
• Greek: κατάσκοπος (el) m (katáskopos)

  Ancient: κατάσκοπος m (katáskopos)

• Hebrew: מְרַגֵל‎ (he) m (meragel), מרגלת‎ f (meragelet)
• Hindi: जासूस (hi) m (jāsūs), गुप्तचर (hi) m (guptacar)
• Hungarian: kém (hu), spion (hu)
• Icelandic: njósnari m
• Indonesian: mata-mata (id)
• Irish: spiaire m, brathadóir m
• Italian: spia (it) f
• Japanese: 密偵 (ja) (みってい, mittei), 探偵 (ja) (たんてい, tantei), 諜報員 (ja) (ちょうほういん, chouhou in), スパイ (ja) (supai), 間諜 (ja) (かんちょう, kanchō), 密使 (mishi)
• Kazakh: шпион (şpïon), тыңшы (tıñşı)
• Khmer: ចារបុរស (caa borɑh)
• Korean: 간첩 (ko) (gancheop) (間諜 (ko)), 스파이 (ko) (seupai)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: sîxur (ku), casûs (ku), diznêr (ku), xefnêr (ku), şofar (ku), spiyon (ku)

• Kyrgyz: шпион (ky) (şpion), тыңчы (ky) (tıñçı)
• Lak: ясус (aˤsus)
• Lao: ໃສ້ເສິກ (sai sœk), ເຊີຽ (sœ̄i), ຈາລະບຸລຸດ (chā la bu lut), ນັກສືບ (nak sư̄p)
• Latin: speculātor m, speculātrix f; ēmissārius m, ōtacustēs m

• Latvian: spiegs m, spiedze f
• Lithuanian: šnipas m
• Macedonian: шпи́он m (špíon)
• Malagasy: mitsikilo (mg)
• Malay: pengintip
• Maori: tūtei, pūrahorua, kaitūtei, pūrahorua
• Mongolian: тагнуул (mn) (tagnuul)
• Navajo: naalchiʼí
• Norman: êpieux m, espion m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: spion m

  Nynorsk: spion m

• Occitan: espion m
• Old English: sċēawere m
• Ossetian: шпион (špion), дзырдхӕссӕг (ʒyrdxæssæg)
• Pashto: جاسوس‎ (ps) m (ǰāsús)
• Persian: جاسوس‎ (fa) (jâsus)
• Plautdietsch: Spiejoon m
• Polish: szpieg (pl) m, szpicel (pl) m
• Portuguese: espião (pt) m
• Romanian: spion (ro) m, spioană (ro) f
• Russian: шпио́н (ru) m (špión), шпио́нка (ru) f (špiónka), аге́нт (ru) m (agént), шпик (ru) m (špik) (colloquial)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: шпијун m, шпијунка f, ухода m

  Roman: špìjūn (sh) m, špìjūnka (sh) f, ùhoda (sh) m

• Slovak: sliedič m
• Slovene: vohun (sl) m, vohunka f
• Sotho: tlhwela
• Spanish: espía (es) m, chivato (es) m
• Swahili: jasusi (sw) 5 or 6, mpelelezi (sw) 1 or 2
• Swedish: spion (sv) c
• Tabasaran: жасус (žasus)
• Tagalog: batyaw
• Tajik: ҷосус (josus), шпион (špion)
• Tatar: шпион (şpion)
• Telugu: వేగు (te) (vēgu), గూఢచారి (te) (gūḍhacāri)
• Thai: สายลับ (sǎai-láp)
• Tibetan: སོ་པ (so pa)
• Tocharian B: pälkostau
• Turkish: ajan (tr), casus (tr)
• Turkmen: içaly
• Tuvan: шивишкин (şivişkin)
• Ukrainian: шпигу́н m (špyhún), шпигу́нка f (špyhúnka)
• Urdu: جاسوس‎ m (jāsūs)
• Uyghur: جاسۇس‎ (jasus), ئىشپىيون‎ (ishpiyon)
• Uzbek: josus (uz), shpion (uz)
• Vietnamese: gián điệp (vi) (間諜)
• Volapük: (♂♀) spionan (vo), (♂) hispionan, (♀) jispionan
• Yiddish: שפּיאָן‎ m (shpyon)
• Zazaki: casus (♂♀)

Derived terms

• spyess (a female spy)
• spy ring

Verb

spy (third-person singular simple present spies, present participle spying, simple past and past participle spied)

1. (intransitive) To act as a spy.

   During the Cold War, Russia and America would each spy on each other for recon.

2. (transitive) To spot; to catch sight of.

   I think I can spy that hot guy coming over here.

   • 1720, Jonathan Swift, A Letter to a Young Clergyman

     One in reading, skipped over all sentences where he spied a note of admiration.

   • 9 June 1536, Hugh Latimer, Sermon preached before the convocation of the clergy

     Look about with your eyes; spy what things are to be reformed in the church of England.

3. (intransitive) To search narrowly; to scrutinize.
   • c. 1603–1604, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene iii]:

     It is my nature's plague / To spy into abuses.

4. (transitive) To explore; to see; to view; inspect and examine secretly, as a country.

Translations

to act as a spy

• Afrikaans: spioeneer
• Arabic: تَجَسَّسَ‎ (tajassasa)
• Armenian: լրտեսել (hy) (lrtesel)
• Catalan: espiar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暗中偵察, 暗中侦察 (ànzhōng zhānchá)

• Czech: špehovat, slídit
• Danish: spionere
• Dutch: spioneren (nl), bespieden (nl)
• Esperanto: spioni (eo)
• Finnish: vakoilla (fi)
• French: espionner (fr)
• Georgian: ჯაშუშობა (ǯašušoba), შპიონაჟი (šṗionaži), თვალთვალი (tvaltvali), დაზვერვა (dazverva), მიკვლევა (miḳvleva), კვალის მიგნება (ḳvalis migneba)
• German: ausspionieren (de)
• Greek: κατασκοπεύω (el) (kataskopévo)

  Ancient: κατασκοπέω (kataskopéō)

• Hungarian: kémkedik (hu)
• Icelandic: njósna
• Indonesian: memata-matai
• Italian: spiare (it)
• Latin: speculor
• Latvian: spiegot

• Macedonian: шпиони́ра (špioníra)
• Malay: intip
• Maori: tūtei
• Norwegian: spionere
• Occitan: espionar
• Polish: szpiegować (pl)
• Portuguese: espiar (pt), espionar
• Quechua: chapatiyay
• Romanian: spiona (ro)
• Russian: шпио́нить (ru) (špiónitʹ), следи́ть (ru) (sledítʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: шпијунирати, уходити

  Roman: špijunírati (sh), uhòditi (sh)

• Sotho: hlwela
• Spanish: espiar (es)
• Swahili: majasusi (sw)
• Swedish: spionera (sv)
• Turkish: casusluk yapmak, ajanlık yapmak
• Tuvan: шивишкиннээр (şivişkinneer)
• Ukrainian: шпигувати impf (špyhuvaty)
• Volapük: spionön (vo)
• Welsh: sbio (cy)
• Zazaki: casusin

to spot at a distance

• Danish: få øje på
• German: erspähen (de)
• Icelandic: koma auga á
• Italian: spiare (it)
• Latin: speculor

• Latvian: ieraudzīt, saskatīt
• Norwegian: få øye på
• Polish: dostrzec (pl) pf
• Swahili: majasusi (sw)

Derived terms

• spy on
• spyhop

Related terms

• spyglass
• spyware

See also

• Wikipedia article on spies

Descendants

• → Japanese: スパイ (supai)
• → Korean: 스파이 (seupai)

Anagrams

• PYs, SYP, YPs, pys

---

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse spýja, from Proto-Germanic *spīwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ptyēw- (“to spit, vomit”). Compare Swedish and Danish spy, Icelandic spýja, English spew, Dutch spuwen, German speien.

Noun

spy n (definite singular spyet) (uncountable)

1. barf (US), vomit, spew

Verb

spy (present tense spyr, simple past spydde, past participle spydd)

1. to barf (US), throw up, vomit, spew (also figurative)

Synonyms

• kaste opp

References

• “spy” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

---

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse spýja. The noun is derived from the verb.

Verb

spy (present tense spyr, past tense spydde, past participle spydd/spytt, passive infinitive spyast, present participle spyande, imperative spy)

1. (transitive, intransitive) to vomit
2. (intransitive, about blowflies) to lay eggs

Derived terms

• spye
• spyfluge
• spy gall
• spygatt
• spysjuk
• spysjuke
• spy ut

 

Noun

spy n (definite singular spyet, indefinite plural spy, definite plural spya)

1. vomit, sick
2. eggs of a blowfly

References

• “spy” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• syp

---

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse spýja, from Proto-Germanic *spīwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ptyēw- (“to spit, vomit”). Compare Norwegian and Danish spy, Icelandic spýja, English spew, Dutch spuwen, German speien.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spyː/

Verb

spy (present spyr, preterite spydde, supine spytt, imperative spy)

1. to throw up, to vomit

Conjugation

Conjugation of spy (weak)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	spy		—
Supine	spytt		—
Imperative	spy		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	spyr	spydde	—	—
Indicative plural1	spy	spydde	—	—
Subjunctive2	spy	spydde	—	—
	Participles
Present participle	spyende
Past participle	spydd
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Synonyms

• kräkas

Related terms

• spya
• spyboll

Anagrams

• pys