Where does “espy” come from?
Espy comes from Old French espier, from Frankish spehōn, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European speḱ-, a root meaning to look or observe.
espy (English): To catch sight of; to see; to spot; To examine...
Definitions
- To catch sight of; to see; to spot; To examine...
Ancestry of “espy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Gillespie | — |
| 2 | Irish | Giolla Easpaig | — |
| 3 | Latin | episcopus | an overseer, supervisor, bishop in a Christian... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἐπίσκοπος | watcher, guardian; scout, watch; overseer,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἐπισκοπέω | I watch over |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἐπι- | on, upon, on top of, all over, covering; on,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ἐπί | as well, besides; For usage in composition, see... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | Ἡμέρα | — |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | ἦμαρ | day; by day; midday |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | ā́mər | day |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eh₃mr̥ | heat |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eh₃- | to be hot; to burn |