what is essaying mean

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Definition of 'essay'

Video: pronunciation of essay

essay in American English

Essay in british english, examples of 'essay' in a sentence essay, related word partners essay, trends of essay.

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essaying adjective

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What does the adjective essaying mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the adjective essaying . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the adjective essaying ?

How is the adjective essaying pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the adjective essaying come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the adjective essaying is in the mid 1600s.

OED's earliest evidence for essaying is from 1641, in the writing of J. Short.

essaying is formed within English, by derivation.

Etymons: essay v. , ‑ing suffix 2 .

Nearby entries

• essarting, n. a1821–
• essay, n. 1597–
• essay, v. 1483–
• essayal, n. 1837–
• essayer, n. 1611–
• essayette, n. 1877–
• essayfy, v. 1815–
• essay-hatch, n. 1721–
• essayical, adj. 1860–
• essaying, n. 1861–
• essaying, adj. 1641–
• essayish, adj. 1863–
• essayism, n. 1821–
• essayist, n. 1616–
• essayistic, adj. 1862–
• essayistical, adj. 1863–
• essaykin, n. 1860–
• essaylet, n. 1872–
• essay-scale, n. 1684–
• Ess Bouquet, n. 1855–
• esse, n. 1597–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, entry history for essaying, adj..

essaying, adj. was first published in 1891; not yet revised.

essaying, adj. was last modified in February 2024.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into essaying, adj. in February 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1891)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

• View essaying, ppl. a. in OED Second Edition

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Definition of assay

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

intransitive verb

Definition of assay  (Entry 2 of 2)

Did you know?

Usage experts warn against confusing the verbs assay and essay . Some confusion shouldn’t be surprising; not only do the two somewhat uncommon words look and sound alike, they also come from the same root, the Middle French word essai , meaning "test" or "effort." ( Essai , in turn, comes from the Late Latin word exagium , meaning "act of weighing.") At one time, the two terms were synonyms, sharing the meaning "try" or "attempt," but they are now typically differentiated, with essay meaning "to try or attempt" (as in "a comedic actor essaying her first dramatic role") and assay meaning "to test or evaluate" (as in "blood assayed to detect the presence of the antibody"). Of course, essay is more common as a noun referring to a short analytic or personal literary composition, but that’s another essay .

• deconstruct
• anatomizing
• deconstruction

Examples of assay in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French assai, essai — more at essay entry 1

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing assay

• enzyme - linked immunosorbent assay

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Cite this Entry

“Assay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assay. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of assay.

Kids Definition of assay  (Entry 2 of 2)

Medical Definition

Medical definition of assay.

Medical Definition of assay  (Entry 2 of 2)

More from Merriam-Webster on assay

Nglish: Translation of assay for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of assay for Arabic Speakers

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Definition of assay verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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[ verb a- sey ; noun as -ey , a- sey ]

verb (used with object)

to assay a situation; to assay an event.

• Metallurgy. to analyze (an ore, alloy, etc.) in order to determine the quantity of gold, silver, or other metal in it.
• Pharmacology. to subject (a drug) to an analysis for the determination of its potency or composition.

to assay someone's efforts.

to assay one's strength; to assay one's debating abilities.

to assay a dance step.

verb (used without object)

• to contain, as shown by analysis, a certain proportion of usually precious metal.
• Metallurgy. determination of the amount of metal, especially gold or silver, in an ore, alloy, etc.
• a substance undergoing analysis or trial.
• a detailed report of the findings in assaying a substance.
• Archaic. examination; trial; attempt; essay.
• to subject (a substance, such as silver or gold) to chemical analysis, as in the determination of the amount of impurity
• tr to attempt (something or to do something)

to assay the significance of early childhood experience

• an analysis, esp a determination of the amount of metal in an ore or the amounts of impurities in a precious metal

an assay office

• a substance undergoing an analysis
• a written report on the results of an analysis
• archaic. an attempt

/ ăs ′ ā,ə-sā ′ /

• A quantitative determination of the amount of a given substance in a particular sample. Assays are regularly used to determine the purity of precious metals. They can be performed by wet methods or dry methods. In the wet method, the sample is dissolved in a reagent, like an acid, until the purified metal is separated out. In the dry method, the sample is mixed with a flux (a substance such as borax or silica that helps lower the melting temperature) and then the sample is heated to the point where impurities in the metal fuse with the flux, leaving the purified metal as a residue.
• A bioassay.

Discover More

Derived forms.

• asˈsayable , adjective
• asˈsayer , noun

Other Words From

• as·saya·ble adjective
• as·sayer noun
• unas·sayed adjective
• unas·saying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of assay 1

Example Sentences

We’ve gone andproliferated dozens of different assays, which in this case is basically more confusing than helpful.

Many of the same issues that bedevil comparing neutralizing antibody assays, apply equally to assays for T-cell responses.

The issue of standardized antiboday assays is further complicated by the fact that different types of assays may be needed.

So far, each vaccine candidate has been tested using a different procedure—known as an assay— conducted in different labs.

Such antibody assays in mid-April indicated that close to one-in-eight people who had been tested in New York State had antibodies to the new coronavirus.

Obama did authorize sending kits for a diagnostic Ebola test called the EZ1 Real-Time RT-PCR Assay.

But the next afternoon, and perhaps the next, we would return to the same cruxes, and often assay the same options.

Twenty baskets of it were obtained by the said miners to assay and investigate its nature, and determine what it might be.

On being fused with twenty-three libras of lead, nothing was obtained from the said assay.

Thence were taken fifteen baskets of gravel and dirt, which has the color of coal, in order to assay it.

Cash looked up from studying the last assay report of the Burro Lode, and his look was not pleasant.

Now would I liefer keep within compass according to my smaller conditions than assay to rival the success 194 of my kinsman Knut.

[ pet -ri-kawr ]

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Meaning of assay in English

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• A rapid method of assaying samples was essential .
• Some ore cannot be assayed by conventional means .
• Buy from a reputable brand name supplement company that states they assay the product for viable organisms .
• background check
• calibration
• experimentally
• experimentation
• experimenter
• put something to the test idiom
• reinspection
• welfare check
• In an antibody assay, each sample is scored as 0, 1+, 2+ or 3+.
• A battery of biological assays followed .
• Some of these designer drugs are not sensitive to laboratory assay.

Examples of assay

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be chasing your tail

to be busy doing a lot of things but achieving very little

Binding, nailing, and gluing: talking about fastening things together

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