| 释义 |
spy
I. \ˈspī\ verb
(spied ; spied ; spying ; spies)
Etymology: Middle English spien, from Old French espier, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German spehōn to watch, regard, spy, Middle Low German spēen, Middle Dutch spien; akin to Old Norse spā to prophesy, Latin specere to look, species appearance, form, kind, species, Greek skeptesthai to view, look, consider, skopein to look at, examine, Sanskrit paśyati he sees
transitive verb
1.
a. : to watch (as a person) in a furtive or stealthy manner for the purpose of secretly obtaining information for usually hostile purposes
< spies the enemy to determine his direction of march >
< take command of the army and … sat with his glass, spying the movements across the water — H.E.Scudder >
b. : to investigate or explore (a country or place) in a secretive or unobtrusive manner — usually used with out
< made horseback trips about the vicinity, spying out the land — Julian Dana >
< shareholders started spying out the landscape in quest of new prospects — Sydney (Australia) Bulletin >
2. : to scrutinize or examine (something) in detail
< spying the exhibits at the fair >
3. : to discover after some search : catch sight of : descry, notice
< the squire in the lead spied him … and reined in his horse — T.B.Costain >
< spied the red camellias on the white marble mantel — Olive H. Prouty >
4. : to search or look for intensively
< left at daylight in order to spy their way … through the minefields — Herbert Hoover >
— usually used with out
< sat at the feet of many European masters … spying out the secrets of their art — Brander Matthews >
intransitive verb
1. : to observe or search for something : look
< smoothing her gloves and spying downward at the folds of her mantle — Arnold Bennett >
< you must spy out for literature as you do for a qualified prescription clerk — Francis Hackett >
2.
a. : to watch secretly : make furtive or stealthy observations — often used with into, on, or upon
< is usually spying into other people's business >
< is above spying on his friends >
b. : to seek strategic or related information about a country or people by secret methods of infiltration or investigation
< was sent into enemy territory to spy >
— usually used with on or upon
< in order to spy upon the British — American Guide Series: Connecticut >
II. noun
(-es)
Etymology: Middle English spie, from Old French espie, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German speho watcher, spy, spehōn to watch, spy — more at spy I
1. : one that spies:
a. : one who keeps secret watch upon a person or thing to obtain information
< spies who were able to mingle among politicians and gather hot gossip — W.A.Swanberg >
< is a sneak, a spy, an informer — Jack London >
b. : one engaged in seeking strategic or related information about a country or people by secret methods of infiltration or investigation : secret agent
< handicapped by a lack of decent military intelligence … had too few scouts and spies — F.V.W.Mason >
specifically : one who acts in a clandestine manner or on false pretenses (as without regular uniform) to obtain information in the zone of operations of a belligerent with the intention of communicating it to the hostile party
2. [Middle English spie, from spien, v.] : the act or occasion of spying
< had the first spy from a hillock in the glen — John Buchan > |