spy
Translingual
Symbol
spyCategory:Translingual lemmas#SPYCategory:Translingual symbols#SPYCategory:Translingual terms with redundant script codes#SPYCategory:Translingual entries with incorrect language header#SPYCategory:Pages with entries#SPYCategory:Pages with 6 entries#SPY
See also
English
Etymology
Category:English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European#SPYCategory:English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *speḱ-#SPYFrom Middle EnglishCategory:English terms inherited from Middle English#SPYCategory:English terms derived from Middle English#SPY spien, aphetic variant of earlier espien (“to espy”), from Old FrenchCategory:English terms derived from Old French#SPY espier (“to spy”), from FrankishCategory:English terms derived from Frankish#SPY *spehōn (“to spy”), from Proto-GermanicCategory:English terms derived from Proto-Germanic#SPY *spehōną (“to see, look”), from Proto-Indo-EuropeanCategory:English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European#SPY *speḱ- (“to look”). Akin to German spähen (“to spy”), Dutch spieden (“to spy”).
The noun displaced native Old English sċēawere (literally “watcher”), which was also the word for "mirror." In this sense, the verb displaced Old English sċēawian, which was also the word for "to watch" and became the Modern English word show.
Distant cognate vie PIE with Latin speculātor, Ancient Greek κατάσκοπος (katáskopos).
Compare typologically Russian согляда́тай (sogljadátaj) (akin to гляде́ть (gljadétʹ)).
Pronunciation
Noun
spy (plural spies)Category:English lemmas#SPYCategory:English nouns#SPYCategory:English countable nouns#SPYCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#SPYCategory:Pages with entries#SPYCategory:Pages with 6 entries#SPY
- A person who secretly watches and examines the actions of other individuals or organizations and gathers information on them (usually to gain an advantage).
- Synonyms: (obsolete) espy, intelligencer; see also Thesaurus:spy
- 1941, Theodore Roethke, “Feud”, in Open House, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC; republished in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, London: Faber and Faber […], 1968, →OCLC, page 4:
- The dead leap at the throat, destroyCategory:English terms with quotations#SPY
The meaning of the day; dark forms
Have scaled your walls, and spies betray
Old secrets to amorphous swarms.
- 2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:
- Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.Category:English terms with quotations#SPY
- (American footballCategory:en:Football (American)#SPY) A defensive player assigned to cover an offensive backfield player man-to-man when they are expected to engage in a running play, but the offensive player does not run with the ball immediately.
Derived terms
Translations
Verb
spy (third-person singular simple present spies, present participle spying, simple past and past participle spied)Category:English lemmas#SPYCategory:English verbs#SPYCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#SPYCategory:Pages with entries#SPYCategory:Pages with 6 entries#SPY
- (intransitiveCategory:English intransitive verbs#SPY) To act as a spy.
- During the Cold War, Russia and America would each spy on each other for recon.Category:English terms with usage examples#SPY
- (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#SPY) To spot; to catch sight of; to espy.
- I think I can spy that hot guy coming over here.Category:English terms with usage examples#SPY
- 1536 June 16 (Gregorian calendar), Hugh Latimer, “Sermon II. Master Latimer’s Discourse on the Same Day in the Afternoon [Preached to the Convocation of the Clergy, before the Parliament Began, the Sixth Day of June, the Twenty Eighth Year of the Reign of the Late King Henry VIII].”, in The Sermons of the Right Reverend Father in God, Master Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester. […], volume I, London: […] J. Scott, […], published 1758, →OCLC, page 32:
- VVherefore lift up your heads, brethren, and look about vvith your eyes, ſpy vvhat things are to be reformed in the Church of England.Category:English terms with quotations#SPY
- 1720, Jonathan Swift, A Letter to a Young Clergyman:
- One in reading, skipped over all sentences where he spied a note of admiration.Category:English terms with quotations#SPY
- 1818, John Keats, A Prophecy:
- Child, I see thee! Child, I spy thee!Category:English terms with quotations#SPY
- 1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, page 68:
- The next person they spied was a Bandicoot carrying a watermelon.Category:English terms with quotations#SPY
- (intransitiveCategory:English intransitive verbs#SPY) To search narrowly; to scrutinize.
- c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], page 324:
- (As I confeſſe it is my Natures plague / To ſpy into Abuſes, and of my iealouſie / Shapes faults that are not)Category:English terms with quotations#SPY
- (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#SPY) To explore; to see; to view; inspect and examine secretly, as a country.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
Descendants
See also
Anagrams
Category:en:Espionage#SPYCategory:en:Occupations#SPYCategory:en:People#SPYDanish
Etymology
From Old NorseCategory:Danish terms derived from Old Norse#SPY spýja, from Proto-GermanicCategory:Danish terms derived from Proto-Germanic#SPY *spīwaną, from Proto-Indo-EuropeanCategory:Danish terms derived from Proto-Indo-European#SPY *(s)ptyēw- (“to spit, vomit”). Compare Swedish and Norwegian Bokmål spy, Icelandic spýja, English spew, Dutch spuwen, German speien.
Noun
spy n (definite singular spyet)Category:Danish lemmas#SPYCategory:Danish nouns#SPYCategory:Danish entries with incorrect language header#SPYCategory:Danish neuter nouns#SPYCategory:Pages with entries#SPYCategory:Pages with 6 entries#SPY (uncountableCategory:Danish uncountable nouns#SPY)
Verb
spy (present tense spyr or spyer, simple past spyede, past participle spyet)Category:Danish lemmas#SPYCategory:Danish verbs#SPYCategory:Danish entries with incorrect language header#SPYCategory:Pages with entries#SPYCategory:Pages with 6 entries#SPY
Synonyms
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Old NorseCategory:Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Old Norse#SPY spýja, from Proto-GermanicCategory:Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Proto-Germanic#SPY *spīwaną, from Proto-Indo-EuropeanCategory:Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Proto-Indo-European#SPY *(s)ptyēw- (“to spit, vomit”). Compare Swedish and Danish spy, Icelandic spýja, English spew, Dutch spuwen, German speien.
Noun
spy n (definite singular spyet)Category:Norwegian Bokmål lemmas#SPYCategory:Norwegian Bokmål nouns#SPYCategory:Norwegian Bokmål entries with incorrect language header#SPYCategory:Norwegian Bokmål neuter nouns#SPYCategory:Pages with entries#SPYCategory:Pages with 6 entries#SPY (uncountableCategory:Norwegian Bokmål uncountable nouns#SPY)
Verb
spy (present tense spyr, simple past spydde, past participle spydd)Category:Norwegian Bokmål lemmas#SPYCategory:Norwegian Bokmål verbs#SPYCategory:Norwegian Bokmål entries with incorrect language header#SPYCategory:Pages with entries#SPYCategory:Pages with 6 entries#SPY
Synonyms
References
- “spy” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Old NorseCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk terms inherited from Old Norse#SPYCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from Old Norse#SPY spýja. The noun is derived from the verb.
Verb
spy (present tense spyr, past tense spydde, past participle spytt/spydd, passive infinitive spyast, present participle spyande, imperative spy)Category:Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas#SPYCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk verbs#SPYCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk entries with incorrect language header#SPYCategory:Pages with entries#SPYCategory:Pages with 6 entries#SPYCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk weak verbs
- (ambitransitiveCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk transitive verbs#SPYCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk intransitive verbs#SPY) to vomit
- (intransitiveCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk intransitive verbs#SPY, about blowflies) to lay eggs
Derived terms
Noun
spy n (definite singular spyet, uncountable)Category:Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas#SPYCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk nouns#SPYCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk uncountable nouns#SPYCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk entries with incorrect language header#SPYCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk neuter nouns#SPYCategory:Pages with entries#SPYCategory:Pages with 6 entries#SPY
References
- “spy” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Anagrams
Category:nn:Bodily fluids#SPYSwedish
Etymology
From Old SwedishCategory:Swedish terms inherited from Old Swedish#SPYCategory:Swedish terms derived from Old Swedish#SPY spȳia, spȳa, spȳ, from Old NorseCategory:Swedish terms derived from Old Norse#SPY spýja, from Proto-GermanicCategory:Swedish terms derived from Proto-Germanic#SPY *spīwaną, from Proto-Indo-EuropeanCategory:Swedish terms derived from Proto-Indo-European#SPY *(s)ptyēw- (“to spit, vomit”). Compare Norwegian and Danish spy, Icelandic spýja, English spew, Dutch spuwen, German speien.
Pronunciation
Verb
spy (present spyr, preterite spydde, supine spytt, imperative spy)Category:Swedish lemmas#SPYCategory:Swedish verbs#SPYCategory:Swedish entries with incorrect language header#SPYCategory:Pages with entries#SPYCategory:Pages with 6 entries#SPY
- to throw up, to puke, to vomit
- Synonyms: kräkas, (slang) lägga en pizza
- 2015, Mons Kallentoft, Vårlik, Bokförlaget Forum, →ISBN:
- Hon känner magen dra sig samman och hon kastar sig åt sidan, spyr all galla ur magen och det känns oändligt skönt och hela hon är svett och en kylig fuktighet.Category:Swedish terms with quotations#SPYCategory:Requests for translations of Swedish quotations#SPY
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 2018, Rune Pär Olofsson, Tillsammans, Lindhardt og Ringhof, →ISBN:
- När jag hör det, vill jag spy. För det är en dubbelmoral. Och jag har tvingats spy upp den — gång på gång.Category:Swedish terms with quotations#SPYCategory:Requests for translations of Swedish quotations#SPY
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 2019 December 19, Charlotta Lindgren, En hel jävla bok om cancer, Lindhardt og Ringhof, →ISBN:
- Jag drabbades av järnbrist och förstoppning och jag spydde en hel del. I flera dagar var jag inlagd på lasarettet.Category:Swedish terms with quotations#SPYCategory:Requests for translations of Swedish quotations#SPY
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Conjugation
| active | passive | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | spy | spys | ||
| supine | spytt | spytts | ||
| imperative | spy | — | ||
| imper. plural1 | spyn | — | ||
| present | past | present | past | |
| indicative | spyr | spydde | spys | spyddes |
| ind. plural1 | spy | spydde | spys | spyddes |
| subjunctive2 | spy | spydde | spys | spyddes |
| present participle | spyende | |||
| past participle | spydd | |||
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.
Derived terms
Related terms
References
- “spy”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
- “spy”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
- “spy”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)