noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb
spying out; discovering by covert investigation
Obsolete term for covert reconnaissance or intelligence gathering. Not used in modern Japanese; replaced by words like 偵察 (ていさつ) or 探知 (たんち).
古い軍記物には、敵陣を偵知する場面が描かれている。
Old war tales depict scenes of spying out enemy encampments.
Compound of 偵 (spy, scout) and 知 (know, perceive). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the word is now obsolete.