espionage definition

English

Etymology

Recorded since 1793, from French espionnage, from espionner (“to spy”), from Middle French espionner (“to spy”), from espion (“spy”), from Old French espion (“spy”), from Frankish *spehō (“spy”), from Frankish *spehōn (“to spy”), from Proto-Germanic *spehōną (“to spy, peek, peer”). In modern times, the French pronunciation of the s, which had fallen silent since the 13th century, was restored due to the influence of Italian spione (“spy”), and was therefore also adopted by the English. More at spy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛs.pi.ə.ˌnɑːʒ/ enPR: ĕsʹ-pē-ə-näzh

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

  • (Canada) enPR: -năzh, -nizh

Noun

espionage (countable and uncountable, plural espionages)

1. The act or process of learning secret information through clandestine means.
   • 1859, George Meredith, chapter 16, in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel. A History of Father and Son. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC:

     So intolerable did Heavy Benson's espionage become, that Raynham would have grown depopulated of its womankind had not Adrian interfered, who pointed out to the Baronet what a fearful arm his butler was wielding.

   • 2003 June 20, Joseph Purdy, “Totally Switched”, in Totally Spies!, season 2, episode 19, spoken by Alexandra “Alex” (Andrea Taylor as Clover and Katie Leigh), Marathon Media, via Teletoon:

     What a freak show! I mean, how often do you meet a wrestling librarian?
     Yeah, about as often as you meet a high schoolgirl involved in international espionage… Okay, bad example.

Synonyms

• spying

Coordinate terms

• reconnaissance
• undercover

Derived terms

• counterespionage, counter-espionage
• industrial espionage
• lexpionage

Related terms

• spywork

Translations

Anagrams

• sea pigeon