pry
/pɹaɪ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.08 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To peer at (something) closely; also, to look into (a matter, etc.) thoroughly.
Obsolete; Transitive verb
noun
A person who is very inquisitive or nosy; a busybody, a nosey parker.
verb
Usually followed by out (of): to draw out or get (information, etc.) with effort.
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "[W]omen haue eagles eyes, / To prie euen to the heart, and why not you?"
- "[…] to elude, thus wrapt in miſt / Of midnight vapor glide obſcure, and prie / In every Buſh and brake, where hap may finde / The Serpent ſleeping, […]"
- "And choice of studious friends had he / Of Bolton's dear fraternity: / […] / [I]n their cells with him did pry / For other lore,—through strong desire / Searching the earth with chemic fire: […]"
- "Watch thou, and wake when others be aſleepe, / To prie into the ſecrets of the State, […]"
- "We literary hacks are shameless creatures. I believe there's no secret of the human heart into which we wouldn't pry."
- "I don't mean to pry, but could you tell me where you got that scarf?"
Etymology
The verb is inherited from Middle English prien, pryen (“to look closely, peer into, pry, spy”) [and other forms], from Old English *prīwan, *prēowian (“to look narrowly, to squint at”), attested by Old English beprīwan, beprēwan (“to wink”); further etymology unknown, but probably akin to Old English *prēowot (“closing of the eyes”), attested only in combination – compare prēowthwīl (“blink or twinkling of an eye, moment”), princ (“a wink”): see prink. The noun is derived from the verb.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: prien, *prīwan, -
Usage
- Intransitive verb
- Obsolete
- Transitive verb
- American usage