Definition: Essay
Etymology 1
Since late sixteenth 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.
Noun
essay (plural essays)
- (authorship) A written composition of moderate length, exploring a particular issue or subject.
- (philately, finance) A proposed design for a postage stamp or a banknote.
Derived terms
- essay question
- miniessay
- photo essay
Related terms
- assay
- essayist
- essayistic
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.
Verb
essay (third-person singular simple present essays, present participle essaying, simple past and past participle essayed)
- (intransitive) To move forth, as into battle.
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here:
