Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PRY, v.i. [a contracted word, the origin of which is not obvious.]

To peep narrowly; to inspect closely; to attempt to discover something with scrutinizing curiosity, whether impertinently or not; as, to pry into the mysteries of nature, or into the secrets of state. Nor need we with a prying eye survey / The distant skies to find the milky way. – Creech.