In their research, the bryologists descried [dɪˈskraɪ] an association between a moss and the iron content of the rock it typically grows on.

descry [dɪˈskraɪ]
verb

1) literary word that, like discover or find out, means “to come to realize or understand something.”

2) “to catch sight of.”

If you’ve ever mixed up the words descry and decry, you’re not alone; even carefully edited publications occasionally mistake the former (“to catch sight of” or “to discover”) for the latter (“to express strong disapproval of”).

Descry sounds just like the English verb describe without its closing b, and the two share a Latin root

English