espial

noun /ɪˈspaɪ.əl/

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 fact of noticing or observing; a discovery.

   countable, uncountable

3. A scout; a spy.

   countable, obsolete, uncountable

   these be most necessarie for the espials belonging vnto a camp

Where it comes from

From Middle English espiaille, from Old French espier (“to watch”).

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry espial (CC BY-SA 4.0).

← eskeresquivalience →

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