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Espionage - 5 dictionary results
es⋅pi⋅o⋅nage
[es-pee-uh-nahzh, -nij, es-pee-uh-nahzh] 
–noun
| 1. | the act or practice of spying. |
| 2. | the use of spies by a government to discover the military and political secrets of other nations. |
| 3. | the use of spies by a corporation or the like to acquire the plans, technical knowledge, etc., of a competitor: industrial espionage. |
Origin:
1785–95; < F espionnage, MF espionage, equiv. to espionn(er) to spy (deriv. of espion spy < It spione < Gmc; akin to G spähen to look out) + -age -age
1785–95; < F espionnage, MF espionage, equiv. to espionn(er) to spy (deriv. of espion spy < It spione < Gmc; akin to G spähen to look out) + -age -age
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To Espionage
| es·pi·o·nage (ěs'pē-ə-näzh', -nĭj) n. The act or practice of spying or of using spies to obtain secret information, as about another government or a business competitor. [French espionnage, from espionner, to spy, from Old French espion, spy, from Old Italian spione, of Germanic origin; see spek- in Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Espionage
Es"pi*o*nage\ (?; 277), n. [F. espionnage, fr. espionner to spy, fr. espion spy, OF. espie. See Espy.] The practice or employment of spies; the practice of watching the words and conduct of others, to make discoveries, as spies or secret emissaries; secret watching.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Espionage
Spanish:
espionaje,
German:
die Spionage,
Japanese:
スパイ行為
espionage
1793, from Fr. espionnage, from M.Fr. espionner "to spy," from O.Fr. espion "spy," probably from a Gmc. source akin to O.H.G. spehon "spy."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: es·pi·o·nage
Pronunciation: 'es-pE-&-"näzh, -"näj, -nij
Function: noun
: the practice of gathering, transmitting, or losing through gross negligence information relating to the defense of the U.S. with the intent that or with reason to believe that the information will be used to the injury of the U.S. or the advantage of a foreign nation
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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