Crossword clues for descry
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Descry \De*scry"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Descried; p. pr. & vb. n. Descrying.] [OE. descrien, discrien, to espy, prob. from the proclaiming of what was espied, fr. OF. descrier to proclaim, cry down, decry, F. d['e]crier. The word was confused somewhat with OF. descriven, E. describe, OF. descrivre, from L. describere. See Decry.]
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To spy out or discover by the eye, as objects distant or obscure; to espy; to recognize; to discern; to discover.
And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel.
--Judg. i. 23.Edmund, I think, is gone . . . to descry The strength o' the enemy.
--Shak.And now their way to earth they had descried.
--Milton. -
To discover; to disclose; to reveal. [R.]
His purple robe he had thrown aside, lest it should descry him.
--Milton.Syn: To see; behold; espy; discover; discern.
Descry \De*scry"\, n. Discovery or view, as of an army seen at a distance. [Obs.]
Near, and on speedy foot; the main descry
Stands on the hourly thought.
--Shak.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"to see, discern," c.1300, probably from Old French descrier "publish" (Modern French décrier), from Latin describere (see describe).
Wiktionary
vb. 1 (context transitive English) To see. 2 (context transitive English) To discover (a distant or obscure object) by the eye; to espy; to discern or detect.
WordNet
Usage examples of "descry".
In time of winter and snow he forsook the land and grave of his father, and climbing into the high regions of Gorgoroth, the Mountains of Terror, he descried afar the land of Doriath.
Some time during the cruise their bread supply failed, and Ragnar steered his vessel into the port of Spangarhede, where he bade his men carry their flour ashore and ask the people in a hut which he descried there to help them knead and bake their bread.
Foul, ceaseless shadows:--thought could not divide The actual world from these entangling evils, Which so bemocked themselves, that I descried All shapes like mine own self, hideously multiplied.
But, descrying traces of unmuddled harmony in a part-song one day, he gave his two under cellarmen faint hopes of getting on towards something in course of time.
I have just been descrying Kadiya, and the vision of her bitter remorse pierced me to the heart.
At least two of his acolytes were needed as adjunct sources of mental energy if he was to be able to scan the sea over long distances, descrying the enemy vessels in pursuit.
Voices have permission from me to use the talismans in descrying and overhearing certain events taking place around the world.
When she was not descrying, she would be able to perform certain other actions from time to time that might aid them in their mission.
A few years ago this same plan was adopted by the Bay whalemen of New Zealand, who, upon descrying the game, gave notice to the ready-manned boats nigh the beach.
And Hanuman lifted his finger, and the phantast did indeed cough, and so it went, around the room, Hanuman pointing at people and descrying the moment they would cough, rub their eyes, laugh, dance, frown, speak, or drink from their goblets of wine.
I left the wood, still bearing her in my arms, and re-entered the road, from the desire of descrying, as soon as possible, the coming passenger.
It was there, just after Danlo had mapped free from the spinning thickspace associated with this star, that he once again descried signs of another ship following him.
At length, before dawn on the morning of the sixteenth, the sentinels on the Saut au Matelot could descry the slowly moving lights of distant vessels.
Nowhere could be descried a hilltop castle, town, city, paven road or cultivated field.
Had I descried a quoit there about to descend upon me I should have been rather pleased than not.