essay

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.

• IPA^(key): (Received Pronunciation, General American) /ˈɛs.eɪ/ (sense 1), /ɛˈseɪ/ (senses 2-4)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛseɪ
• Homophones: ese, SA (sense 1)

essay (plural essays)

2. (publishing) 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.”

3. (obsolete) A test, experiment; an assay.
4. (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.

5. (philately, finance) A proposed design for a postage stamp or a banknote.

• assay
• essayist
• essayistic

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

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ɛˈseɪ/

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

1. (dated, transitive) To attempt or try.

   Shall we essay a walk on the promenade?

   • 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.

• Sayes, Seays, Sesay, eyass

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

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

essay n (plural essays, diminutive essaytje n)

1. essay

   Synonyms: opstel, paper

• betoog

• essayist

• → Indonesian: esai

Borrowed from English essay, from Middle French essai.

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

• essaysamling

• “essay” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Borrowed from English essay, from Middle French essai.

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

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

• essaysamling

• “essay” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.