Past tense of descry; caught sight of something, especially from a distance or with difficulty.
From Old French descrier, from des- (thoroughly) + crier (to cry out). Originally meant to announce or proclaim by shouting, but evolved to mean spotting or sighting something.
Medieval lookouts would 'descry' ships on the horizon—the word literally meant 'to cry out' when you spotted danger, which is why it stuck around in English despite sounding archaic today.
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