assayen

Middle English

Alternative forms

• assaien, assaie, assay, assaye, asay, asaye, asayn, a-say, saie, sayen, saye

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman assaier; equivalent to assay +‎ -en (infinitival suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈsæi̯ən/, /ˈasæi̯ən/, /sæi̯ən/

Verb

assayen

1. To trial, test or assay:
   1. To trial something in order to ascertain its efficacy.
   2. To ascertain something's efficacy or usefulness.
   3. To examine or test a person's nature or intrinsic qualities.
   4. To taste comestibles (often in order to test them)
   5. To test something's or someone's battle-readiness
2. To launch an attempt or effort at something.
3. To look at; to research or launch an examination or inquiry.
4. To perform an enterprise or mission.
5. To attain knowledge via deduction, inquiry, or investigating.
6. To query or ask one for assistance or help.
7. To lure or draw into; to seduce or utilise temptation.
8. To copulate, have sexual relations with, or have coitus.
9. (rare) To have experienced something.
10. (rare) To utilise a field of knowledge.
11. (rare) To travel on the ocean.

Conjugation

Conjugation of assayen (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) assayen, assaye
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	assaye	assayed
2nd-person singular	assayest	assayedest
3rd-person singular	assayeth	assayed
subjunctive singular	assaye
imperative singular		—
plural1	assayen, assaye	assayeden, assayede
imperative plural	assayeth, assaye	—
participles	assayynge, assayende	assayed, yassayed

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

• English: assay, say
• Scots: say, sey

References

• “assaien, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-08-17.
• “saien, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-08-17.