Espial
/ɪˈspaɪ.əl/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act of noticing or observing. countable, uncountable
"Secure—unnoted—Conrad's prow pass'd by, / And anchor'd where his ambush meant to lie; / Screen'd from espial by the jutting cape, / That rears on high its rude fantastic shape."
- 2 the act of detecting something; catching sight of something wordnet
- 3 The fact of noticing or observing; a discovery. countable, uncountable
- 4 A scout; a spy. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"these be most necessarie for the espials belonging vnto a camp"
Example
More examples"Secure—unnoted—Conrad's prow pass'd by, / And anchor'd where his ambush meant to lie; / Screen'd from espial by the jutting cape, / That rears on high its rude fantastic shape."
Etymology
From Middle English espiaille, from Old French espier (“to watch”).