Adjacent Words

Descry definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

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, n. Discovery; thing descovered.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: catch sight of [syn: descry, spot, espy, spy]

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb (descried; descrying) Etymology: Middle English descrien to proclaim, reveal, from Anglo-French *descrier, alteration of Old French decrier — more at decry Date: 14th century 1. a. to catch sight of <I descried a sail — Jonathan Swift> b. find out, discover 2. obsolete to make known ; reveal II. noun Date: 1605 obsolete discovery or view from afar

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. (-ies, -ied) literary catch sight of; discern (descried him in the crowd; descries no glimmer of light in her situation). Etymology: ME (earlier senses 'proclaim, DECRY') f. OF descrier: prob. confused with var. of obs. descrive f. OF descrivre DESCRIBE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Descry De*scry", n. 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. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Descry De*scry", v. 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. d['e]crier. 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. --Shak. And now their way to earth they had descried. --Milton. 2. To discover; to disclose; to reveal. [R.] His purple robe he had thrown aside, lest it should descry him. --Milton. Syn: To see; behold; espy; discover; discern.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

de-skri': This word like "describe" came into the English through the French descrire (Latin, describere); it occurs only in the King James Version of Jud 1:23: "And the house of Joseph sent to Bethel." tur the verb thus translated, signifies "to explore" or "examine," and the Revised Version (British and American) correctly renders "sent to spy out."

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Discover, discern, espy, perceive, see, behold, get sight of, get a glimpse of. 2. Detect, recognize, find out, spy out.

Moby Thesaurus

appreciate, behold, catch, catch sight of, clap eyes on, come alive, comprehend, detect, discern, discover, distinguish, encounter, espy, glimpse, have in sight, hit, identify, ken, lay eyes on, look on, look upon, make out, mark, meet with, note, notice, observe, penetrate, perceive, pick out, pick up, pierce, plumb, realize, recognize, see, see daylight, see into, see the light, see through, sense, sight, spot, spy, take in, turn up, twig, understand, view, witness