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Wiktionary

essay

See also: Essay

English

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Etymology 1

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Since late 16th century, borrowed from Middle French essay, essai (“essay”), meaning coined by Montaigne in the same time, from the same words in earlier meanings 'experiment; assay; attempt', from Old French essay, essai, assay, assai, from Latin exagium (“weight; weighing, testing on the balance”), from exigere + -ium.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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essay (plural essays)

  1. (authorship) A written composition of moderate length, exploring a particular issue or subject.
    • 2013 January, Katie L. Burke, “Ecological Dependency”, in American Scientist‎[1], volume 101, number 1, archived from the original on 9 February 2017, page 64:
      In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what epidemiologists call “the next big one.”
  2. (obsolete) A test, experiment; an assay.
  3. (now rare) An attempt.
    • 1861, E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley, page 16:
      My first essay at getting employment was fruitless; but after no small number of mortifying rebuffs from various parties to whom I applied for assistance, I was at last rewarded by a comparative success.
    • 1988, James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, Oxford, published 2003, page 455:
      This was Lee's first essay in the kind of offensive-defensive strategy that was to become his hallmark.
  4. (philately, finance) A proposed design for a postage stamp or a banknote.
Derived terms
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Translations
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an attempt — see attempt,‎ try,‎ assay

Etymology 2

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From Middle French essayer, essaier, from Old French essaiier, essayer, essaier, assaiier, assayer, assaier, from essay, essai, assay, assai (“attempt; assay; experiment”) as above.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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essay (third-person singular simple present essays, present participle essaying, simple past and past participle essayed)

  1. (dated, transitive) To attempt or try.
    • 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, chapter II, in The House Behind the Cedars:
      He retraced his steps to the front gate, which he essayed to open.
    • 1950 April, R. A. H. Weight, “They Passed by My Window”, in Railway Magazine, page 260:
      The train took the slow to branch spur at the north end at a not much slower speed, then essayed the short sharply curved climb with a terrific roar, smoke rising straight from the chimney to a height of some 60 ft., the long train twisting and curling behind.
    • 2023 October 12, HarryBlank, “Fire in the Hole”, in SCP Foundation‎[2], archived from the original on 22 May 2024:
      There was the counter, there was the bulletin board, above her the dull sound of music being played over headphones. Something jaunty. She liked the beat. Then the sound of a chair being pushed back, and someone humming as they walked away from her, and she darted up to plunge the bayonet into their kidneys from behind. A followup stroke through the back of the neck, and the second soldier was down. She didn't even stop to see if it was a man or a woman, young or old. There were further hurdles to essay before she reached her destination.
  2. (intransitive) To move forth, as into battle.
Translations
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to try — see try

Anagrams

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Dutch

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English essay (“essay”), from Middle French essai (“essay; attempt, assay”), from Old French essai, from Latin exagium (whence the neuter gender).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ɛˈseː/, /ˈɛ.seː/
  • Hyphenation: es‧say
  • Rhymes: -eː

Noun

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essay n (plural essays, diminutive essaytje n)

  1. essay

Hypernyms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Indonesian: esai

Norwegian Bokmål

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English essay, from Middle French essai.

Noun

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essay n (definite singular essayet, indefinite plural essay or essayer, definite plural essaya or essayene)

  1. an essay, a written composition of moderate length exploring a particular subject

Derived terms

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References

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English essay, from Middle French essai.

Noun

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essay n (definite singular essayet, indefinite plural essay, definite plural essaya)

  1. an essay, a written composition of moderate length exploring a particular subject

Derived terms

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References

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