# essay
## English
### Etymology 1

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.

#### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA: /ˈɛs.eɪ/ (sense 1), IPA: /ɛˈseɪ/ (senses 2-4)
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛseɪ
* Homophones: ese, SA (sense 1)

#### Noun

essay (plural essays)
* (authorship) A written composition of moderate length, exploring a particular issue or subject.
** 2013 January, Katie L. Burke, “Ecological Dependency”, in American Scientist‎, 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.”
* (obsolete) A test, experiment; an assay.
* (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.
* (philately, finance) A proposed design for a postage stamp or a banknote.

##### Derived terms

* argumentative essay
* automated essay scoring
* counteressay
* eight-legged essay
* essayette
* essayic
* essayish
* essayism
* essaykin
* essaylet
* essaylike
* essay mill
* essay question
* in this essay I will
* miniessay
* photo-essay
* photo essay
* video essay

##### Related terms

* assay
* essayist
* essayistic

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

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

#### Pronunciation

* (UK, US) IPA: /ɛˈseɪ/

#### Verb

essay (third-person singular simple present essays, present participle essaying, simple past and past participle essayed)
* (dated, transitive) To attempt or try.
** 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, 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.
* (intransitive) To move forth, as into battle.

##### Derived terms

* unessayed

##### Translations
### Anagrams

* Sayes, Seays, Sesay, eyass

## Dutch
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɛˈseː/, /ˈɛ.seː/
* Hyphenation: es‧say
* Rhymes: -eː

### Noun

essay n (plural essays, diminutive essaytje n)
* essay
    Synonyms: opstel, paper

#### Hypernyms

* betoog

#### Derived terms

* essayist

#### Descendants

* → Indonesian: esai

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology

Borrowed from English essay, from Middle French essai.

### Noun

essay n (definite singular essayet, indefinite plural essay or essayer, definite plural essaya or essayene)
* an essay, a written composition of moderate length exploring a particular subject

#### Derived terms

* essaysamling

### References

* “essay” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Etymology

Borrowed from English essay, from Middle French essai.

### Noun

essay n (definite singular essayet, indefinite plural essay, definite plural essaya)
* an essay, a written composition of moderate length exploring a particular subject

#### Derived terms

* essaysamling

### References

* “essay” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.