Emily Dickinson Lexicon

E-SPY', v.t. [Fr. epier, espier; Sp. espiar; It. spiare; D. bespieden, from spiede, a spy; G. spähen, to spy; Sw. speia; Dan. speider; W. yspiaw, and yspeithiaw, from yspaith, paith. See Spy. The radical letters seem to be Pd; if not, the word is a contraction from the root of L. specio.]

1. To see at a distance; to have the first sight of a thing remote. Seamen espy land as they approach it.
2. To see or discover something intended to be hid, or in a degree concealed and not very visible; as, to espy a man in a crowd, or a thief in a wood.
3. To discover unexpectedly. As one of them opened his sack, he espied his money. Gen. xlii.
4. To inspect narrowly; to examine and make discoveries. Moses sent me to espy out the land, and I brought him word again. Josh. xiv.