noun
Meaning 1
An act of noticing or observing.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: espy
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
espial
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ɪˈspaɪ.əl/
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/ɛˈspaɪ.əl/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -aɪəl
noun
Meaning 2
The fact of noticing or observing; a discovery.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A scout; a spy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: espy
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
the act of detecting something; catching sight of something
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: detection, catching, spying, spotting
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: discovery, find, uncovering
History
Etymology
From Middle English espiaille, from Old French espier (“to watch”).
Across languages
Translations
6 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: съзиране (sǎzirane) — act of noticing or observing
- Bulgarian: забелязване (zabeljazvane) — act of noticing or observing
- Polish: dostrzeżenie — act of noticing or observing
- Polish: wyśledzenie — act of noticing or observing
- Russian: наблюде́ние (nabljudénije) — act of noticing or observing
- Russian: высле́живание (vysléživanije) — act of noticing or observing