[spy] vb spied ; spy.ing [ME spien, fr. OF espier, of Gmc origin; akin to OHG spehon to spy; akin to L specere to look, look at, Gk skeptesthai & skopein to watch, look at, consider] vt (13c) 1: to watch secretly usu. for hostile purposes
2: to catch sight of: see
3: to search or look for intensively ~ vi 1: to observe or search for something: look
2: to watch secretly as a spy
[2]spy n, pl spies (13c) 1: one that spies: a: one who keeps secret watch on a person or thing to obtain information b: a person employed by one nation to secretly convey classified information of strategic importance to another nation; also: a person who conveys the trade secrets of one company to another
2: an act of spying