snoop
UK[snuːp]US[snuːp]
v
to look around a place secretly in order to find out things or discover information about someone.
n
a person who snoops.
Etymology
the verb 'snoop' entered english in the late 19th century, borrowed from the dutch 'snoepen', which carried the specific sense of stealing away to eat sweets. this concept of furtive, secretive action was semantically broadened upon its adoption into english. the meaning shifted from clandestine snacking to the more general act of prying or investigating stealthily. the term's journey reflects a classic pattern of semantic extension, where a word for a specific secret behavior evolves to denote any covert inquiry or nosy investigation.
Analysis
the word is a simplex form. it is a loanword from dutch, where 'snoepen' means 'to eat sweets secretly' or 'to sneak'.
Examples
i saw him snooping around the office after everyone had left.
she didn't want her neighbor, a notorious snoop, to see the package.
the journalist was accused of snooping into the celebrity's private life.