reconnoiter

• (British, Canadian) reconnoitre

From French reconnoître (obsolete spelling of reconnaître), from Latin recognoscere (“to recognize”). Contrarily, there is also an obsolete 19th-century British English spelling reconnaitre (now reconnoitre).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɹɛkəˈnɔɪtə/, [ˌɹʷɛkəˈnɔɪ̯tʰə]
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɹɛkəˈnɔɪtɚ/, [ˌɹˠɛkəˈnɔɪ̯ɾɚ]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

reconnoiter (third-person singular simple present reconnoiters, present participle reconnoitering, simple past and past participle reconnoitered)

1. (American spelling, transitive, intransitive, military) To perform a reconnaissance (of an area; an enemy position); to scout with the aim of acquiring information.

   Our scout will reconnoiter the path ahead of our troops.

   • 1992, Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash, page 395:

     Not everything is exactly right on the Enterprise. Something is burning somewhere. People are firing guns. She's not entirely sure she wants to be there. As long as she is high up in the air, she reconnoiters the ship and confirms that there is no way off, no handy gangplanks or stairway thingies.

• scout, survey

reconnoiter (plural reconnoiters)

1. (American spelling) An act or instance of reconnoitering.

   The pilot reported the findings of his reconnoiter.

• recon
• recce
• reconnaissance

• reconnoitre, reconnoître