Essay Definition
ĕsā, ĕ-sā
essayed, essaying, essays
noun
essays
A trying or testing.
Webster's New World
Something resembling such a composition.
A photojournalistic essay.
American Heritage
A short literary composition of an analytical, interpretive, or reflective kind, dealing with its subject in a nontechnical, limited, often unsystematic way and, usually, expressive of the author's outlook and personality.
Webster's New World
A testing or trial of the value or nature of a thing.
An essay of the students' capabilities.
American Heritage
An attempt; trial.
Webster's New World
verb
essayed, essaying, essays
To try; attempt.
Webster's New World
To test the nature or quality of; try out.
Webster's New World
(dated) To try.
Wiktionary
(intransitive) To move forth, as into battle.
Wiktionary
Origin of Essay
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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 ag- in Indo-European roots V., from Middle English assaien from Old French assaer, assaier variant of essayer
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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From Middle French essai.
From Wiktionary
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