spy
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See also: spý
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
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”).
The noun displaced native Old English sċēawere (literally “watcher”), which was also the word for "mirror." In this sense, the verb displaced Old English sċēawian, which was also the word for "to watch" and became the Modern English word show.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
spy (plural spies)
- 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[edit]
Translations[edit]
person who secretly watches
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Derived terms[edit]
Verb[edit]
spy (third-person singular simple present spies, present participle spying, simple past and past participle spied)
- (intransitive) To act as a spy.
- During the Cold War, Russia and America would each spy on each other for recon.
- (transitive) To spot; to catch sight of.
- I think I can spy that hot guy coming over here.
- 1536 June 9, 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.
- 1720, Jonathan Swift, A Letter to a Young Clergyman
- One in reading, skipped over all sentences where he spied a note of admiration.
- 1818, John Keats, A Prophecy:
- Child, I see thee! Child, I spy thee!
- (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], page 324:
- (As I confeſſe it is my Natures plague / To ſpy into Abuſes, and of my iealouſie / Shapes faults that are not)
- (transitive) To explore; to see; to view; inspect and examine secretly, as a country.
Translations[edit]
to act as a spy
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to spot at a distance
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
See also[edit]
Descendants[edit]
Anagrams[edit]
Norwegian Bokmål[edit]
Etymology[edit]
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[edit]
spy n (definite singular spyet) (uncountable)
Verb[edit]
spy (present tense spyr, simple past spydde, past participle spydd)
Synonyms[edit]
References[edit]
- “spy” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old Norse spýja. The noun is derived from the verb.
Verb[edit]
spy (present tense spyr, past tense spydde, past participle spydd/spytt, passive infinitive spyast, present participle spyande, imperative spy)
- (transitive, intransitive) to vomit
- (intransitive, about blowflies) to lay eggs
Derived terms[edit]
Noun[edit]
spy n (definite singular spyet, uncountable)
- vomit, sick
- (collective) eggs of a blowfly
References[edit]
- “spy” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Anagrams[edit]
Swedish[edit]
Etymology[edit]
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[edit]
Verb[edit]
spy (present spyr, preterite spydde, supine spytt, imperative spy)
Conjugation[edit]
Conjugation of spy (weak)
| Active | Passive | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | spy | — | ||
| Supine | spytt | — | ||
| Imperative | spy | — | ||
| Imper. plural1 | spyn | — | ||
| Present | Past | Present | Past | |
| Indicative | spyr | spydde | — | — |
| Ind. plural1 | spy | spydde | — | — |
| Subjunctive2 | spy | spydde | — | — |
| Participles | ||||
| Present participle | spyende | |||
| Past participle | spydd | |||
| 1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs. | ||||
Quotations[edit]
Synonyms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Anagrams[edit]
Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *speḱ-
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Frankish
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/aɪ
- Rhymes:English/aɪ/1 syllable
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English transitive verbs
- en:Espionage
- en:Occupations
- en:People
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Old Norse
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Norwegian Bokmål lemmas
- Norwegian Bokmål nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål neuter nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål uncountable nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål verbs
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms inherited from Old Norse
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from Old Norse
- Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas
- Norwegian Nynorsk verbs
- Norwegian Nynorsk weak verbs
- Norwegian Nynorsk transitive verbs
- Norwegian Nynorsk intransitive verbs
- Norwegian Nynorsk nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk uncountable nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk neuter nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk collective nouns
- nn:Bodily fluids
- Swedish terms derived from Old Norse
- Swedish terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Swedish terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Swedish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish verbs
- Swedish weak verbs