Scry
//skɹaɪ// noun, verb
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A cry or shout. obsolete
Verb
- 1 To magically or supernaturally look into or (as an entertainer) predict (the future), using crystal balls or other objects.
"The fortune teller claimed she could scry [into] the future."
- 2 To proclaim. obsolete
- 3 divine by gazing into crystals wordnet
- 4 To use magical means to see or look into (something that is happening outside one's sight, e.g. inside a building or far away, or in the distant past, or future, etc).
"Scrying spells can simply toggle the state of hidden objects to the revealed state, […]"
- 5 To descry; to see. obsolete
"[…]two ſhepheards curres, had ſcryde A rauenous Wolfe amongſt the ſcattered flockes."
Example
More examples"The fortune teller claimed she could scry [into] the future."
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English scrien, scryen, a shortened form of Middle English ascrien, from Old French escrier (“to cry out”). Influenced by Middle English descrien (“to descry”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English ascry, ascrie, escrie, from Anglo-Norman ascri, from Old French escri.
Related phrases
More for "scry"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.