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Webster 1913 Edition


Descry

De-scry′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Descried
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Descrying
.]
[OE.
descrien
,
discrien
, to espy, prob. from the proclaiming of what was espied, fr. OF.
descrier
to proclaim, cry down, decry, F.
décrier
. The word was confused somewhat with OF.
descriven
, E.
describe
, OF.
descrivre
, from L.
describere
. See
Decry
.]
1.
To spy out or discover by the eye, as objects distant or obscure; to espy; to recognize; to discern; to discover.
And the house of Joseph sent to
descry
Bethel.
Judg. i. 23.
Edmund, I think, is gone . . . to
descry

The strength o’ the enemy.
Shakespeare
And now their way to earth they had
descried
.
Milton.
2.
To discover; to disclose; to reveal.
[R.]
Syn. – To see; behold; espy; discover; discern.

De-scry′

,
Noun.
Discovery or view, as of an army seen at a distance.
[Obs.]
Near, and on speedy foot; the main
descry

Stands on the hourly thought.
Shakespeare

Webster 1828 Edition


Descry

DESCRY

, v.t.
1.
To espy; to explore; to examine by observation.
The house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. Judges 1.
2.
To detect; to find out; to discover any thing concealed.
3.
To see; to behold; to have a sight of from a distance; as, the seamen descried land.
4.
To give notice of something suddenly discovered.

DESCRY

,
Noun.
Discovery; thing descovered.

Definition 2024


descry

descry

English

Verb

descry (third-person singular simple present descries, present participle descrying, simple past and past participle descried)

  1. (transitive) To see.
  2. (transitive) To discover (a distant or obscure object) by the eye; to espy; to discern or detect.
    • Shakespeare
      Edmund, I think, is gone [] to descry / The strength o' the enemy.
    • Milton
      And now their way to earth they had descried.
    • 1719 Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
      When I had passed the vale where my bower stood [] I came within view of the sea [] and it being a very clear day, I fairly descried landwhether an island or a continent I could not tell; but it lay very high, extending [] at a very great distance []
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 4, in The Celebrity:
      Judge Short had gone to town, and Farrar was off for a three days' cruise up the lake. I was bitterly regretting I had not gone with him when the distant notes of a coach horn reached my ear, and I descried a four-in-hand winding its way up the inn road from the direction of Mohair.
  3. To discover; to disclose; to reveal.
    • Milton
      His purple robe he had thrown aside, lest it should descry him.

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