| 释义 |
▪ I. † eˈspy, n. Obs.
Also 5 esspie, 3–5 aspy. See also spy.
[a. OF. espie, f. espier: see espy, spy vbs. Cf. Sp. espia, It. spia.]
1. The action of espying; espial, espionage.
c1386Chaucer Melib. ⁋60 In such a wyse that thou ne wante noon espye ne wacche thy body for to save. c1430Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 2588 Of here espie no thing thei wist. 1598Hakluyt Voy. I. 203 Of these he made subtile inuestigation Of his owne espie, and other mens relation. 1607Topsell Serpents (1653) 712 The Eagle..Sharp war..did prepare Gainst Serpent..after espy.
b. In Wyclif the form aspye occurs often in the sense ‘snare, ambush’.[c1380Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 363 Aspies þat þe fend haþ leid. 1382― Ex. xxi. 13 If eny man of avysement sle his neiȝbour and by aspyes. 1388― Gen. iii. 15 Thou schalt sette aspies to hir heele.] 2. concr. [cf. sentinel, watch, etc.] A spy.
c1450Merlin xxviii. 575 The saisnes it wisten by theire esspies that thei hadde through the countrey. 1564Haward Eutropius ii. 14 Hee had apprehended the espyes of Pirrhus. 1598R. Barckley Felic. Man ii. (1603) 111, I am indeede an espie of thy covetousnesse and madnesse. 1624Capt. Smith Virginia vi. 235 [He] sent his wife as an espy to see. 1656Hobbes Liberty, Necess., & C. (1841) 112 This argument was sent forth only as an espy, to make a more full discovery.
▪ II. espy, v.|ɪˈspaɪ|
Forms: 4–7 espie, -ye, 5– espy. Also aspy.
[a. OF. espie-r (mod.F. épier), corresp. to Pr. and Sp. espiar, It. spiare:—Com. Romanic *spiāre, ad. OHG. spehôn (Ger. spähen) to spy. Cf. L. specĕre, Gr. σκέπτεσθαι to look.]
†1. trans. To act as a spy upon, to watch (a person); to inspect as a spy (sometimes with out); to examine closely. Also, to watch for, look out for. Obs.
[c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 37 Tille wikked men scho spak, Edward to aspie.] c1420Pallad. on Husb. i. 105 But thicke and drie [sc. land] espie [printed espy]. 1480Caxton Chron. Eng. ii. (1520) 10 b/1 Brute anone sende of his men to lande for to espye the maner of the countree. 1552Huloet, Espye or waite a time, aucupari tempus. a1555Latimer Serm. & Rem. (1845) 304 To espy and search his land. 1588Shakes. Tit. A. ii. iii. 48 Now question me no more, we are espied. 1590Greene Fr. Bacon Wks. (ed. Rtldg.) 154/2 Espy her loves, and who she liketh best. 1611Bible Josh. xiv. 7 Moses..sent me from Kadesh Barnea, to espie out the land. a1667Jer. Taylor (Ogilvie), He sends angels to espy us in all our ways.
b. absol. or intr. To look steadily, watch, keep a look out; to act as a spy. arch.
c1386Chaucer Knt.'s T. 254 With that word Arcite gan espye Wher as this lady romed to and fro. 1513Douglas æneis viii. iii. 134 Evander..espying wyth his sicht. 1565–73Cooper Thesaurus, Episcopius, a brigantine or ship sent out to espie. 1611Bible Jer. xlviii. 19 Stand by the way and espie. 1846Keble Lyra Innoc. (1873) 42 [He] on the dark edge stands..and downward dares espy.
†c. (trans. In ME. form aspy: To lie in wait for; also absol.)
c1225Ancr. R. 196, I ðe wildernesse heo aspieden us to slean. 1382Wyclif Acts xxiii. 21 More than fourty men of hem aspien him [Vulg. insidiantur ei].
2. trans. To discover by spying or by looking out; to catch sight of; to descry, discern, discover (what is distant or partly hidden); to detect (a fault, flaw, etc.); to discern (a convenient time or opportunity). † Formerly sometimes with out. † Also, to discern from.
c1320Seuyn Sag. (W.) 1796 Yif thou dost a folie, Thi louerd hit wil sone espie. c1384Chaucer H. Fame ii. 198 [It were impossible] How that..he [Fame] shulde here al this Or they [his spies] espie hyt. c1460La Belle Dame sanz mercy 88 in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866) 55 But tweyne þat were my frendis here before had me espied. 1486Bk. St. Albans D ij, She [the hawk] espith theym and commyth couerte her selfe. 1531Elyot Gov. i. xiii, He sone espiethe good herbes from nettiles. 1543–4Act. 35 Hen. VIII, c. 5 A time may be espied to haue them..by malice conuicted. 1581J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osorius 462 Whose prophane blasphemy some merry conceited man espyeng out, opened the Caskett privily. 1666Bunyan Grace Ab. 24 If I could in any place espy a word of promise. 1726Swift Gulliver i. i. 21 The seamen espied a rock within half a cable's length of the ship. 1788Wesley Wks. (1872) VI. 375 These skilful wrestlers espy the smallest slip we make. 1817Coleridge Sibyl. Leaves (1862) 280 Can she the bodiless dead espy? 1847L. Hunt Jar Honey ix, We all, like Moses, should espy, Ev'n in a bush, the radiant Deity. 1877Black Green Past. xliii, Who was trying to espy a squirrel.
b. To perceive by chance or unexpectedly.
1483Caxton Gold. Leg. 373/3 A man came for to take water & espyed the deed chylde. 1551Robinson tr. More's Utop. i. (Arb.) 29, I chaunced to espye this foresayde Peter. 1588Shakes. Tit. A. ii. iii. 194 Where I espy'd the panther fast asleep. 1611Bible Gen. xlii. 27 As one of them opened his sack, he espied his money. 1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. 196 Espying me, hee blest him selfe and suddenly began to mutter his prayer to Mahomet.
†c. To observe, perceive (a fact); with clause as obj.. Obs.
c1374Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 67 Creon gan espie how that the blode riall was brought adoun. 1413Lydg. Pilgr. Sowle iv. xx. (1483) 66 Seem..hyled his fader Noe When he espyed that naked soo was he. 1461Paston Lett. No. 399 II. 24, I can espye some of his meny was grete cause of T.D. deth. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 129 Yf..they espye in the soule..ony feare to ryse. 1551T. Wilson Logike ii. 73 b, The hontesman..will sone espie, when he seeth a hole, whether it be a foxe borough or not. 1581J. Bell Haddon's answ. Osorius 463 [A supposed ‘portion of Peters Brayne’]..afterwardes being more narrowlye examined and viewed, was espyed to be a very pumeyse. |