■ noun 'ɛseɪ
1》 a piece of writing on a particular subject.
2》 formal an attempt or effort.
3》 a trial design of a postage stamp.
■ verb ɛ'seɪ formal attempt: he ~ed a smile.
Derivatives
~ist noun
~istic adjective
Origin
C15 (in the sense 'test the quality of'): alt. of assay , by assoc. with OFr. ~er , based on late L. exagium 'weighing'; the noun (C16) is from OFr. essai 'trial'.