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espial

   Also found in: Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
es·pi·al  (-spl)
n.
1. The act of watching or observing; observation.
2. A taking notice of something; a discovery.
3. The fact of being seen or noticed.
[Middle English espiaille, from Old French, from espier, to watch; see espy.]
espial [ɪˈspaɪəl]
n Archaic
1. the act or fact of being seen or discovered
2. the act of noticing
3. the act of spying upon; secret observation
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.espial - the act of detecting something; catching sight of something
catching, detection, spotting, spying
discovery, find, uncovering - the act of discovering something


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
The bedroom-door on the staircase being unlocked, Mr Quilp slipped in, and planted himself behind the door of communication between that chamber and the sitting-room, which standing ajar to render both more airy, and having a very convenient chink (of which he had often availed himself for purposes of espial, and had indeed enlarged with his pocket-knife), enabled him not only to hear, but to see distinctly, what was passing.
The Old Curiosity Shop by Dickens, Charles View in context
The landlord of the house had not withdrawn his eye from this place of espial for five minutes, and Barney had only just returned from making the communication above related, when Fagin, in the course of his evening's business, came into the bar to inquire after some of his young pupils.
Oliver Twist Or The Parish Boy's Progress by Dickens, Charles View in context
Then wisdom altered its method and spoke of espial and discovery.
The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Wilde, Oscar View in context
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