noun , verb
■ noun / ˈeseɪ; NAmE /
1.
essay (on sth) a short piece of writing by a student as part of a course of study :
an essay on the causes of the First World War
2.
essay (on sth) a short piece of writing on a particular subject, written in order to be published
3.
essay (in sth) ( formal ) an attempt to do sth :
His first essay in politics was a complete disaster.
■ verb
/ eˈseɪ/ [ vn ] ( literary ) to try to do sth
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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.