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spy

noun, verb — 6 senses

spy

noun

/spaɪ/

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”). 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. Distant cognate vie PIE with Latin speculātor, Ancient Greek κατάσκοπος (katáskopos). Compare typologically Russian согляда́тай (sogljadátaj) (akin to гляде́ть (gljadétʹ)).

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).

  • The dead leap at the throat, destroy The meaning of the day; dark forms Have scaled your walls, and spies betray Old secrets to amorphous swarms.1941, Theodore Roethke, “Feud”, in Open House, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC; republished in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, London: Faber and Faber […], 1968, →OCLC, page 4:
  • 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.2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:
2

American football, Ball games, Football, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A defensive player assigned to cover an offensive backfield player man-to-man when they are expected to engage in a running play, but the offensive player does not run with the ball immediately.

Synonyms
espial, espy, ghost, intelligencer, secret agent, spook, spy, undie
Derived terms
35 termsantispy, bespy, co-spy, counterspy, cyberspy, Eurospy, spyboat, spybot, spycam, spycatcher, spycatching, spy cop, spycore, spycraft, spydom, spy dust, spyess, spy-fi, Spygate, spyhole, spy-hop, spy-hopping, spyism, spyless, spylike, spymaster, spymistress, spy money, spyplane, spyproof, spy ring, spy satellite, spyship, spywork, superspy
Hypernyms
intelligence asset, person
Hyponyms
counterspy, double agent, honeypot, informant, mole, molehunter, pavement artist, sleeper agent, triple agent, wheel artist, wiretapper
Holonyms
cell, HUMINT, intelligence agency, secret service

spy

verb
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”). 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. Distant cognate vie PIE with Latin speculātor, Ancient Greek κατάσκοπος (katáskopos). Compare typologically Russian согляда́тай (sogljadátaj) (akin to гляде́ть (gljadétʹ)).

1

To act as a spy.

  • During the Cold War, Russia and America would each spy on each other for recon.
2

To spot; to catch sight of; to espy.

  • I think I can spy that hot guy coming over here.
  • VVherefore lift up your heads, brethren, and look about vvith your eyes, ſpy vvhat things are to be reformed in the Church of England.1536 June 15 (Gregorian calendar), Hugh Latimer, “Sermon II. Master Latimer’s Discourse on the Same Day in the Afternoon [Preached to the Convocation of the Clergy, before the Parliament Began, the Sixth Day of June, the Twenty Eighth Year of the Reign of the Late King Henry VIII].”, in The Sermons of the Right Reverend Father in God, Master Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester. […], volume I, London: […] J. Scott, […], published 1758, →OCLC, page 32:
3 more examples
  • One in reading, skipped over all sentences where he spied a note of admiration.1720, Jonathan Swift, A Letter to a Young Clergyman:
  • Child, I see thee! Child, I spy thee!1818, John Keats, A Prophecy:
  • The next person they spied was a Bandicoot carrying a watermelon.1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, page 68:
3

To search narrowly; to scrutinize.

  • (As I confeſſe it is my Natures plague / To ſpy into Abuſes, and of my iealouſie / Shapes faults that are not)c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], page 324:
4

To explore; to see; to view; inspect and examine secretly, as a country.

Derived terms
counterspy, hi-spy-hi, I spy, I spy with my little eye, outspy, spier, spyhop, spy on, spy out, unspied
Related terms
spyglass, spyware

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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