essay
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essay
try; subject to a test; a short literary composition: She wrote an essay for her final exam.
Not to be confused with:
assay – an analysis of a substance, esp. of an ore or drug: His find required an assay to determine its value.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
es·say
(ĕs′ā′, ĕ-sā′)n.
1. (ĕs′ā′)
a. A short literary composition on a single subject, usually presenting the personal view of the author.
b. Something resembling such a composition: a photojournalistic essay.
2. A testing or trial of the value or nature of a thing: an essay of the students' capabilities.
3. An initial attempt or endeavor, especially a tentative attempt.
tr.v. (ĕ-sā′, ĕs′ā′) es·sayed, es·say·ing, es·says
1. To make an attempt at; try.
2. To subject to a test.
[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; see ag- in Indo-European roots. V., from Middle English assaien, from Old French assaer, assaier, variant of essayer.]
es·say′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
essay
n
1. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a short literary composition dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively
2. an attempt or endeavour; effort
3. a test or trial
vb (tr)
4. to attempt or endeavour; try
5. to test or try out
[C15: from Old French essaier to attempt, from essai an attempt, from Late Latin exagium a weighing, from Latin agere to do, compel, influenced by exigere to investigate]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
es•say
(n. ˈɛs eɪ or, for 3,5, ɛˈseɪ; v. ɛˈseɪ)n.
1. a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usu. 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.
v.t. 4. to try; attempt.
5. to put to the test; make trial of.
[1475–85; < Middle French essayer, c. Anglo-French assayer to assay< Vulgar Latin *exagiāre, v. derivative of Late Latin exagium a weighing =*exag(ere), for Latin exigere to examine, test]
es•say′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
essay
Past participle: essayed
Gerund: essaying
| Imperative |
|---|
| essay |
| essay |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
essay
A prose composition on a particular subject.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  essay - an analytic or interpretive literary compositionpiece of writing, written material, writing - the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect); "the writing in her novels is excellent"; "that editorial was a fine piece of writing" paper, theme, report, composition - an essay (especially one written as an assignment); "he got an A on his composition" disquisition - an elaborate analytical or explanatory essay or discussion memoir - an essay on a scientific or scholarly topic thanatopsis - an essay expressing a view on the subject of death |
| 2. | essay - a tentative attempt | |
| Verb | 1. |  essay - make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world"pick up the gauntlet, take a dare - be dared to do something and attempt it act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" struggle, fight - make a strenuous or labored effort; "She struggled for years to survive without welfare"; "He fought for breath" have a go, give it a try - make an attempt at something; "I never sat on a horse before but I'll give it a go" grope - search blindly or uncertainly; "His mind groped to make the connection" endeavor, endeavour, strive - attempt by employing effort; "we endeavor to make our customers happy" give it a try, give it a whirl - try; "let's give it a whirl!" adventure, gamble, run a risk, take a chance, take chances, risk, chance, hazard - take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome; "When you buy these stocks you are gambling" lay on the line, put on the line, risk - expose to a chance of loss or damage; "We risked losing a lot of money in this venture"; "Why risk your life?"; "She laid her job on the line when she told the boss that he was wrong" |
| 2. |  essay - put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe"pass judgment, evaluate, judge - form a critical opinion of; "I cannot judge some works of modern art"; "How do you evaluate this grant proposal?" "We shouldn't pass judgment on other people" verify, control - check or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard; "Are you controlling for the temperature?" float - circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with; "The Republicans are floating the idea of a tax reform" field-test - test something under the conditions under which it will actually be used; "The Army field tested the new tanks" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
essay
noun
1. composition, study, paper, article, piece, assignment, discourse, tract, treatise, dissertation, disquisition, SA (S.M.S.) He was asked to write an essay about his home town.
verb
1. (Formal) attempt, try, test, take on, undertake, strive for, endeavour, have a go at, try out, have a shot at (informal), have a crack at (informal), have a bash at (informal) He essayed a smile, but it was a dismal failure.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
essay
noun1. A relatively brief discourse written especially as an exercise:
2. A procedure that ascertains effectiveness, value, proper function, or other quality:
1. To make an attempt to do or make:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
بحثمَقالمَقال، مَقالَه
esej
essayforsøgeprøveskriftlig opgavestil
essee
esej
esszé
ritgerî
エッセイ
수필
esė
esejasacerējums
esejpísomná práca
esejposkus
essäuppsats
เรียงความ
bài luận
essay
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
essay
[ˈɛseɪ] n [student] → dissertation f; [school pupil] → rédaction f
a history essay → une dissertation d'histoire
a history essay → une dissertation d'histoire
(= work of literature) → essai m
(= attempt) → tentative f
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
essay
(ˈesei) noun a written composition; a piece of written prose. The examination consists of four essays; Write an essay on/about your holiday.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
essay
→ مَقال esej essay Aufsatz δοκίμιο ensayo essee dissertation esej saggio エッセイ 수필 essay essay esej dissertação эссе uppsats เรียงความ deneme bài luận 短文Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009