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spy (spī)
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n. pl. spies (spīz)
1. One who secretly collects information concerning the enemies of a government or group.
2. One who secretly collects information for a business about one or more of its competitors.
3. One who secretly keeps watch on another or others.
v. spied (spīd), spy·ing, spies (spīz)
v.tr.
1. To watch or observe secretly: was sent to spy out the enemy camp.
2. To discover by close observation: "[They] are continually prowling about on all three decks, eager to spy out iniquities" (Herman Melville).
3. To catch sight of; see: spied the ship on the horizon.
v.intr.
1. To engage in espionage.
2. To investigate or observe something, especially in secret: spying into the neighbor's activities.
[Middle English spie, from Old French espie, from espier, to watch, of Germanic origin; see spek- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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