dih-SKRY

Definition

(verb) To catch sight of something difficult to see; to discover or detect something by careful observation.

Example

After an hour of scanning the hillside, she finally descried the outline of the elk standing motionless among the trees.

Word Origin

From Old French descrier, meaning “to proclaim” or “to cry out about” — which itself evolved to mean “to spot and announce.” The word entered English in the 14th century. It shares roots with “describe” and “decry,” all descending from Latin clamare (“to cry out”) through Old French. The journey from “crying out” to “spotting at a distance” reflects how scouts and lookouts would cry out when they spotted something on the horizon.