a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.
2.
anything resembling such a composition: a picture essay.
3.
an effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt.
4.
Philately. a design for a proposed stamp differing in any way from the design of the stamp as issued.
5.
Obsolete. a tentative effort; trial; assay.
–verb (used with object)
6.
to try; attempt.
7.
to put to the test; make trial of.
[Origin: 1475–85; < MF essayer, c. AF assayer to assay < LL exagium a weighing, equiv. to *exag(ere), for L exigere to examine, test, lit., to drive out (see exact) + -ium-ium]
[French essai, trial, attempt, from Old French, from essayer, to attempt, from Vulgar Latin *exagiāre, to weigh out, from Late Latin exagium, a weighing : Latin ex-, ex- + Latin agere, to drive; see ag- in Indo-European roots. V., from Middle English assaien, from Old French assaer, assaier, variant of essayer.]
1597, "short non-fiction literary composition" (first attested in writings of Francis Bacon, probably in imitation of Montaigne), from M.Fr. essai "trial, attempt, essay," from L.L. exagium "a weighing, weight," from L. exigere "test," from ex- "out" + agere apparently meaning here "to weigh." The suggestion is of unpolished writing. Essayist is from 1609. The more literal verb meaning "to put to proof, test the mettle of" is from 1483; this sense has mostly gone with the divergent spelling assay (q.v.).
make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world" [syn: try]
2.
put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe" [syn: test]
A short piece of writing on one subject, usually presenting the author's own views. Michel de Montaigne, Francis Bacon, and Ralph Waldo Emerson are celebrated for their essays.
As*say"\, n. [OF. asai, essai, trial, F. essa. See Essay, n.]1. Trial; attempt; essay. [Obs.] --Chaucer. I am withal persuaded that it may prove much more easy in the assay than it now seems at distance. --Milton. 2. Examination and determination; test; as, an assay of bread or wine. [Obs.] This can not be, by no assay of reason. --Shak. 3. Trial by danger or by affliction; adventure; risk; hardship; state of being tried. [Obs.] Through many hard assays which did betide. --Spenser. 4. Tested purity or value. [Obs.] With gold and pearl of rich assay. --Spenser. 5. (Metallurgy) The act or process of ascertaining the proportion of a particular metal in an ore or alloy; especially, the determination of the proportion of gold or silver in bullion or coin. 6. The alloy or metal to be assayed. --Ure. Usage: Assay and essay are radically the same word; but modern usage has appropriated assay chiefly to experiments in metallurgy, and essay to intellectual and bodily efforts. See Essay. Note: Assay is used adjectively or as the first part of a compound; as, assay balance, assay furnace. Assay master, an officer who assays or tests gold or silver coin or bullion. Assay ton, a weight of 29,1662/3 grams.
As*say"\, n. [OF. asai, essai, trial, F. essa. See Essay, n.]1. Trial; attempt; essay. [Obs.] --Chaucer. I am withal persuaded that it may prove much more easy in the assay than it now seems at distance. --Milton. 2. Examination and determination; test; as, an assay of bread or wine. [Obs.] This can not be, by no assay of reason. --Shak. 3. Trial by danger or by affliction; adventure; risk; hardship; state of being tried. [Obs.] Through many hard assays which did betide. --Spenser. 4. Tested purity or value. [Obs.] With gold and pearl of rich assay. --Spenser. 5. (Metallurgy) The act or process of ascertaining the proportion of a particular metal in an ore or alloy; especially, the determination of the proportion of gold or silver in bullion or coin. 6. The alloy or metal to be assayed. --Ure. Usage: Assay and essay are radically the same word; but modern usage has appropriated assay chiefly to experiments in metallurgy, and essay to intellectual and bodily efforts. See Essay. Note: Assay is used adjectively or as the first part of a compound; as, assay balance, assay furnace. Assay master, an officer who assays or tests gold or silver coin or bullion. Assay ton, a weight of 29,1662/3 grams.
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Audio Help [n. es-ey for 1, 2; es-ey, e-sey for 3–5; v. e-sey] Pronunciation Key 
