'Essay' definitions:
Definition of 'essay'
From: WordNet
noun
An analytic or interpretive literary composition
noun
A tentative attempt
verb
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" [syn: try, seek, attempt, essay, assay]
verb
Definition of 'Essay'
From: GCIDE
- Essay \Es*say"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Essayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Essaying.] [F. essayer. See Essay, n.]
- 1. To exert one's power or faculties upon; to make an effort to perform; to attempt; to endeavor; to make experiment or trial of; to try. [1913 Webster]
- What marvel if I thus essay to sing? --Byron. [1913 Webster]
- Essaying nothing she can not perform. --Emerson. [1913 Webster]
- A danger lest the young enthusiast . . . should essay the impossible. --J. C. Shairp. [1913 Webster]
- 2. To test the value and purity of (metals); to assay. See Assay. [Obs.] --Locke. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Essay'
From: GCIDE
- Essay \Es"say\, n.; pl. Essays. [F. essai, fr. L. exagium a weighing, weight, balance; ex out + agere to drive, do; cf. examen, exagmen, a means of weighing, a weighing, the tongue of a balance, exigere to drive out, examine, weigh, Gr. 'exa`gion a weight, 'exagia`zein to examine, 'exa`gein to drive out, export. See Agent, and cf. Exact, Examine, Assay.]
- 1. An effort made, or exertion of body or mind, for the performance of anything; a trial; attempt; as, to make an essay to benefit a friend. "The essay at organization." --M. Arnold. [1913 Webster]
- 2. (Lit.) A composition treating of any particular subject; -- usually shorter and less methodical than a formal, finished treatise; as, an essay on the life and writings of Homer; an essay on fossils, or on commerce. [1913 Webster]
- 3. An assay. See Assay, n. [Obs.]
- Syn: Attempt; trial; endeavor; effort; tract; treatise; dissertation; disquisition. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'essay'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- acid test,
- approach,
- article,
- assay,
- attempt,
- autograph,
- bid,
- blank determination,
- brainchild,
- bring to test,
- brouillon,
- causerie,
- chance,
- composition,
- computer printout,
- confirm,
- copy,
- crack,
- criterion,
- crucial test,
- crucible,
- cut and try,
- descant,
- determination,
- discourse,
- discussion,
- disquisition,
- dissertation,
- docimasy,
- document,
- draft,
- edited version,
- effort,
- endeavor,
- engage,
- engrossment,
- etude,
- examination,
- excursus,
- exertion,
- experiment,
- explication,
- exposition,
- fair copy,
- feature,
- feeling out,
- fiction,
- final draft,
- finished version,
- first approach,
- first draft,
- flimsy,
- fling,
- gambit,
- give a try,
- give a tryout,
- go,
- go about,
- hassle,
- have a go,
- holograph,
- homily,
- introductory study,
- kiteflying,
- labor,
- letter,
- lick,
- lift a finger,
- literae scriptae,
- literary artefact,
- literary production,
- literature,
- lucubration,
- make an attempt,
- make an effort,
- manuscript,
- matter,
- memoir,
- monograph,
- morceau,
- move,
- nonfiction,
- note,
- offer,
- opus,
- ordeal,
- original,
- outline,
- pandect,
- paper,
- paragraph,
- parchment,
- penscript,
- piece,
- piece of writing,
- play,
- play around with,
- poem,
- practice upon,
- preliminary study,
- printed matter,
- printout,
- probation,
- production,
- prolegomenon,
- proof,
- prove,
- put to trial,
- reading matter,
- recension,
- research,
- research paper,
- road-test,
- rough draft,
- rough sketch,
- run a sample,
- sample,
- screed,
- scrip,
- script,
- scrive,
- scroll,
- second draft,
- seek,
- shake down,
- shot,
- sketch,
- sounding out,
- special article,
- stab,
- standard,
- step,
- strive,
- striving,
- stroke,
- strong bid,
- struggle,
- study,
- substantiate,
- survey,
- tackle,
- taste,
- tentative,
- term paper,
- test,
- test case,
- the written word,
- theme,
- thesis,
- toil,
- touchstone,
- tract,
- tractate,
- transcript,
- transcription,
- travail,
- treatise,
- treatment,
- trial,
- trial and error,
- try,
- try it on,
- try out,
- typescript,
- undertake,
- undertaking,
- validate,
- venture,
- venture on,
- venture upon,
- verification,
- verify,
- version,
- whack,
- work,
- writing