Word of the Day

: March 8, 2008

descry

verb dih-SKRYE

What It Means

1 : to catch sight of

2 : find out, discover

descry in Context

Liang descried a bluebird flitting near the edge of the glade.

Did You Know?

With "descry" and the more common "decry" ("to express strong disapproval of"), we have a case of linguistic double-dipping. That is, English borrowed from the same French root twice. Both words ultimately come from the Old French verb "decrier," meaning "to proclaim" or "to decry." English speakers borrowed the term as "descry" in the 14th century and used it to mean "to proclaim" or "to spy out from a distance" (as a watchman might) and eventually simply "to catch sight of" or "discover." Meanwhile, in French, "descrier" itself developed into the modern French "décrier" ("to disparage, to decry"). English speakers borrowed this word as "decry" in the 17th century. Be careful not to confuse "descry" and "decry." They may be close relatives, but in modern English they have distinct meanings.