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es•say

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[ noun es -ey es -ey , e- sey verb e- sey ]

  • a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.

a picture essay.

  • an effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt.
  • Philately. a design for a proposed stamp differing in any way from the design of the stamp as issued.
  • Obsolete. a tentative effort; trial; assay.

verb (used with object)

  • to try; attempt.
  • to put to the test; make trial of.
  • a short literary composition dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively
  • an attempt or endeavour; effort
  • a test or trial
  • to attempt or endeavour; try
  • to test or try out
  • A short piece of writing on one subject, usually presenting the author's own views. Michel de Montaigne , Francis Bacon (see also Bacon ), and Ralph Waldo Emerson are celebrated for their essays.

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Other words from.

  • es·sayer noun
  • prees·say verb (used without object)
  • unes·sayed adjective
  • well-es·sayed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of essay 1

Example Sentences

As several of my colleagues commented, the result is good enough that it could pass for an essay written by a first-year undergraduate, and even get a pretty decent grade.

GPT-3 also raises concerns about the future of essay writing in the education system.

This little essay helps focus on self-knowledge in what you’re best at, and how you should prioritize your time.

As Steven Feldstein argues in the opening essay, technonationalism plays a part in the strengthening of other autocracies too.

He’s written a collection of essays on civil engineering life titled Bridginess, and to this day he and Lauren go on “bridge dates,” where they enjoy a meal and admire the view of a nearby span.

I think a certain kind of compelling essay has a piece of that.

The current attack on the Jews,” he wrote in a 1937 essay, “targets not just this people of 15 million but mankind as such.

The impulse to interpret seems to me what makes personal essay writing compelling.

To be honest, I think a lot of good essay writing comes out of that.

Someone recently sent me an old Joan Didion essay on self-respect that appeared in Vogue.

There is more of the uplifted forefinger and the reiterated point than I should have allowed myself in an essay.

Consequently he was able to turn in a clear essay upon the subject, which, upon examination, the king found to be free from error.

It is no part of the present essay to attempt to detail the particulars of a code of social legislation.

But angels and ministers of grace defend us from ministers of religion who essay art criticism!

It is fit that the imagination, which is free to go through all things, should essay such excursions.

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Definitions.net

  Vocabulary      

What does essayed mean?

Definitions for essayed es·sayed, this dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word essayed ., did you actually mean essayist or estate , webster dictionary rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes, how to pronounce essayed.

Alex US English David US English Mark US English Daniel British Libby British Mia British Karen Australian Hayley Australian Natasha Australian Veena Indian Priya Indian Neerja Indian Zira US English Oliver British Wendy British Fred US English Tessa South African

How to say essayed in sign language?

Chaldean Numerology

The numerical value of essayed in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

Pythagorean Numerology

The numerical value of essayed in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Popularity rank by frequency of use

  • ^  Webster Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essayed

Translations for essayed

From our multilingual translation dictionary.

  • essayed German
  • ensayado Spanish
  • megkísérelte Hungarian
  • essayed Italian
  • エッセイ Japanese
  • పోషించారు Telugu

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Definition of essay noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

  • I have to write an essay this weekend.
  • essay on something an essay on the causes of the First World War
  • essay about somebody/something Have you done your essay about Napoleon yet?
  • in an essay He made some very good points in his essay.
  • Essays handed in late will not be accepted.
  • Have you done your essay yet?
  • He concludes the essay by calling for a corrective.
  • I finished my essay about 10 o'clock last night!
  • Lunch was the only time she could finish her essay assignment.
  • We have to write an essay on the environment.
  • You have to answer 3 out of 8 essay questions in the exam.
  • the teenage winner of an essay contest
  • We have to write an essay on the causes of the First World War.
  • be entitled something
  • be titled something
  • address something
  • in an/​the essay
  • essay about

Want to learn more?

Find out which words work together and produce more natural-sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.

meaning of essayed

Remember the difference and get an 'A' for effort.

You might also know that essay can be a verb, with its most common meaning being "to try, attempt, or undertake":

A very close approach to the evil of Idi Amin is essayed in Giles Foden's 1998 novel The Last King of Scotland , whose narrator is the Scottish personal physician to the dictator. — Norman Rush, The New York Review of Books , 7 Oct. 2004 The principal accidents she remembers, before last summer's, involved chipping a couple of teeth while, as a fifth grader, she was essaying a back flip off a diving board,... — E. J. Kahn, Jr., The New Yorker , 17 Aug. 1987

The verb assay , meanwhile, is used to mean "to test or evaluate" and can be applied to anything from laboratory samples to contest entries:

He bounced from job to job, working on a shrimp boat and later for Pan American Laboratories assaying chemicals coming in from Mexico. — Steve Clark, The Brownville Herald , 21 Apr. 2017 "Each burger will be assayed by visitors and a panel of judges, including local chefs Jen Knox, Gina Sansonia, Judith Able, Bret Hauser, Camilo Cuartas and Peter Farrand." — Phillip Valys, SouthFlorida.com , 19 May 2017

While this distinction might seem clear-cut on the surface, there exists a great deal of historical overlap between essay and assay . The two words derive from the same root—the Middle French essai , which ultimately derives from a Late Latin noun, exagium , meaning "act of weighing."

At one time, assay and essay were synonyms, sharing the meaning "try" or "attempt." In the 17th century, an essay was an effort to test or prove something:

Edmond: I hope, for my brother's justification, he wrote this but as an essay or taste of my virtue. — William Shakespeare, King Lear , 1606

For the modern noun use of essay to mean "a written exploration of a topic," we can almost certainly thank Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), a French writer noted for working in the form. Borrowing a word that emphasized their identity as literary "attempts," Montaigne devised Essais as a title for the vignette-typed pieces that he began publishing in 1580 and spanned over a thousand pages, covering subjects as varied and wide-ranging as solitude, cannibalism, and drunkenness.

Those last ones probably won't be in the final exam.

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Definition of 'essay'

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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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Aidyn Fitzpatrick, news editor and Hong Kong architecture buff Tomorrow Could Be Good

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This episode, I talk to Aidyn Fitzpatrick.  Pre-pandemic, working at the Time Asia bureau, they occupied a corner office as managing editor. Confined to their flat in the pandemic, they came out as non-binary.  As it happens, the meaning of spaces is a big theme for Aidyn. Their essays and poems portray an unseen Hong Kong, Eurasian identity, art, drugs and sobriety. Aidyn’s Instagram is basically a fan account for Hong Kong’s pastel-hued buildings. It's all part of a larger reckoning with who they are.  Aidyn speaks to me from their home in Hong Kong.  Aidyn's book picks:  Nonbinary: A Memoir by Genesis P-Orridge, published by Abrams Press, 2021  Hong Kong Modern: Architecture of the 1950s-1970s by Walter Koditek, published by Dom Books, 2022  The Complete Poems and Plays by T.S. Eliot, published by Ecco Press, 1952  Also discussed:  The Horizon Suite, a poem by Aidyn Fitzpatrick, published in 聲韻詩刊 Voice & Verse Poetry Magazine, Issue 65, "Cruel Spring", June 2022 A news editor and poet based in Hong Kong, Aidyn Fitzpatrick is Managing Editor at Macao News, a news website.  Aidyn was previously Asia Managing Editor at TIME in Asia, capping two decades of reporting at the Hong Kong bureau.    Born and raised in Hong Kong, Aidyn studied Modern History at Christchurch College, Oxford. Their essays and poems appear in literary journals and anthologies. They were formerly a nightclub promoter and, in the 80s, a member of China's first punk band, the Stress.    Find our show in these places: Instagram: @tomorrowcouldbegood  Tiktok: @tomorrowcouldbegood   Website: www.tomorrowcouldbegood.com   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Meaning of essaying in English

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  • give something your best shot idiom
  • go after someone
  • go all out idiom
  • go down swinging/fighting idiom
  • go for someone
  • shoot for the moon idiom
  • shoot the works idiom
  • smarten (someone/something) up
  • smarten up your act idiom
  • square the circle idiom

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COMMENTS

  1. ESSAYED

    ESSAYED definition: 1. past simple and past participle of essay 2. to try to do something: . Learn more.

  2. Essayed

    Define essayed. essayed synonyms, essayed pronunciation, essayed translation, English dictionary definition of essayed. try; subject to a test; a short literary composition: She wrote an essay for her final exam.

  3. Essay Definition & Meaning

    The meaning of ESSAY is an analytic or interpretative literary composition usually dealing with its subject from a limited or personal point of view. How to use essay in a sentence. ... again essayed to ride on the camel. essay. 2 of 2 noun. es· say ˈes-ˌā . in sense 1 also. e-ˈsā . 1: attempt entry 2 sense 1, try.

  4. How To Use "Essayed" In A Sentence: Usage and Examples

    Definition Of Essayed. When it comes to the English language, words have the power to shape our thoughts and convey complex ideas. One such word that holds a unique place in the realm of expression is "essayed." Derived from the Old French word "essayer," meaning "to try" or "to attempt," essayed has a multifaceted definition ...

  5. Essayed Definition & Meaning

    Essayed definition: Simple past tense and past participle of essay. .

  6. ESSAYED Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

    Synonyms for ESSAYED: tried, attempted, sought, endeavored, assayed, strived, strove, wrought; Antonyms of ESSAYED: dropped, quit, gave up, quitted

  7. ESSAY Definition & Meaning

    Essay definition: a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.. See examples of ESSAY used in a sentence.

  8. Essay

    A composition that is usually short and has a literary theme is called an essay. You should probably start writing your essay on "To Kill a Mockingbird" sometime before the bus ride to school the day it is due.

  9. ESSAY definition and meaning

    essay in British English. noun (ˈɛseɪ , for senses 2, 3 also ɛˈseɪ ) 1. a short literary composition dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively. 2. an attempt or endeavour; effort. 3. a test or trial.

  10. Essay Definition & Meaning

    Britannica Dictionary definition of ESSAY. [+ object] formal. : to try to do, perform, or deal with (something) He at first essayed [= tried, attempted] a career as a writer. There is no hint as to which of the approaches essayed in this book will prove most useful. — sometimes followed by to + verb. He essayed [= tried, attempted] to restore ...

  11. What does essayed mean?

    Definition of essayed in the Definitions.net dictionary. Meaning of essayed. Information and translations of essayed in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web.

  12. ESSAY

    ESSAY definition: 1. a short piece of writing on a particular subject, especially one done by students as part of the…. Learn more.

  13. essay noun

    Word Origin late 15th cent. (as a verb in the sense 'test the quality of'): alteration of assay, by association with Old French essayer, based on late Latin exagium 'weighing', from the base of exigere 'ascertain, weigh'; the noun (late 16th cent.) is from Old French essai 'trial'.

  14. 32 Synonyms & Antonyms for ESSAYED

    Find 32 different ways to say ESSAYED, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.

  15. To 'Essay' or To 'Assay'?

    You might also know that essay can be a verb, with its most common meaning being "to try, attempt, or undertake":. A very close approach to the evil of Idi Amin is essayed in Giles Foden's 1998 novel The Last King of Scotland, whose narrator is the Scottish personal physician to the dictator. — Norman Rush, The New York Review of Books, 7 Oct. 2004 The principal accidents she remembers ...

  16. ESSAY definition in American English

    1. 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.

  17. ‎Tomorrow Could Be Good: Aidyn Fitzpatrick, news editor and Hong Kong

    As it happens, the meaning of spaces is a big theme for Aidyn. Their essays and poems portray an unseen Hong Kong, Eurasian identity, art, drugs and sobriety. Aidyn's Instagram is basically a fan account for Hong Kong's pastel-hued buildings. It's all part of a larger reckoning with who they are. Aidyn speaks to me from their home in Hong Kong.

  18. ESSAYING

    ESSAYING definition: 1. present participle of essay 2. to try to do something: . Learn more.

  19. Everyday Use Symbolism Essay

    1323 Words. 6 Pages. Open Document. Symbolism is a form of speech in which many authors use words or items to represent a meaning in the literature.In Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use," the author employs rich symbolism to convey deeper meanings about African-American culture, heritage, and identity. Through the use of various objects ...

  20. ESSAYING

    ESSAYING meaning: 1. present participle of essay 2. to try to do something: . Learn more.