Definify.com
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
The strength o’ the enemy.
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
Stands on the hourly thought.
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.
Definition 2024
descry
descry
English
Verb
descry (third-person singular simple present descries, present participle descrying, simple past and past participle descried)
- (transitive) To see.
- (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 land—whether 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.
- Shakespeare
- To discover; to disclose; to reveal.
- Milton
- His purple robe he had thrown aside, lest it should descry him.
- Milton
Translations
see — see see
to notice carefully; to detect