essay

es·say  (s, -s)

n.

1. (s)

a. A short literary composition on a single subject, usually presenting the personal view of the author.

b. Something resembling such a composition: a photojournalistic essay.

2. A testing or trial of the value or nature of a thing: an essay of the students' capabilities.

3. An initial attempt or endeavor, especially a tentative attempt.

tr.v. (-s, s) es·sayed, es·say·ing, es·says

1. To make an attempt at; try.

2. To subject to a test.

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[French essai, trial, attempt, from Old French, from essayer, to attempt, from Vulgar Latin *exagire, to weigh out, from Late Latin exagium, a weighing : Latin ex-, ex- + Latin agere, to drive; see ag- in Indo-European roots. V., from Middle English assaien, from Old French assaer, assaier, variant of essayer.]

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es·sayer n.

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essay

Noun

1. a short literary composition on a single subject

2. a short piece of writing on a subject done as an exercise by a student

3. an attempt

Verb

Formal to attempt: he essayed a faint smile [Old French essai an attempt]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	essay - an analytic or interpretive literary composition piece of writing, written material, writing - the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect); "the writing in her novels is excellent"; "that editorial was a fine piece of writing" paper, theme, report, composition - an essay (especially one written as an assignment); "he got an A on his composition" disquisition - an elaborate analytical or explanatory essay or discussion memoir - an essay on a scientific or scholarly topic thanatopsis - an essay expressing a view on the subject of death
	2.	essay - a tentative attempt attempt, effort, try, endeavor, endeavour - earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"
Verb	1.	essay - 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" attempt, try, assay, seek pick up the gauntlet, take a dare - be dared to do something and attempt it act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" struggle, fight - make a strenuous or labored effort; "She struggled for years to survive without welfare"; "He fought for breath" have a go, give it a try - make an attempt at something; "I never sat on a horse before but I'll give it a go" grope - search blindly or uncertainly; "His mind groped to make the connection" endeavor, endeavour, strive - attempt by employing effort; "we endeavor to make our customers happy" give it a try, give it a whirl - try; "let's give it a whirl!" adventure, gamble, run a risk, take a chance, take chances, risk, chance, hazard - take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome; "When you buy these stocks you are gambling" lay on the line, put on the line, risk - expose to a chance of loss or damage; "We risked losing a lot of money in this venture"; "Why risk your life?"; "She laid her job on the line when she told the boss that he was wrong"
	2.	essay - put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe" test, try out, try, examine, prove pass judgment, evaluate, judge - form a critical opinion of; "I cannot judge some works of modern art"; "How do you evaluate this grant proposal?" "We shouldn't pass judgment on other people" verify, control - check or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard; "Are you controlling for the temperature?" float - circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with; "The Republicans are floating the idea of a tax reform" field-test - test something under the conditions under which it will actually be used; "The Army field tested the new tanks"

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essay

noun 1. composition, study, paper, article, piece, assignment, discourse, tract, treatise, dissertation, disquisition

noun 2. (Formal) attempt, go (informal) try, effort, shot (informal) trial, struggle, bid, test, experiment, crack (informal) venture, undertaking, stab (informal) endeavour, exertion

verb 3. (Formal) attempt, try, test, take on, undertake, strive for, endeavour, have a go at, try out, have a shot at (informal) have a crack at (informal) have a bash at (informal)

Translations

essay [ˈɛseɪ] n (SCOL) → redacción f: (longer) → trabajo

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essay [ˈɛseɪ] n (Scol) → dissertation f;

(Literature) → essai m (= attempt); tentative f

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essay [ˈɛseɪ] n → Aufsatz m;

(Liter) → Essay m or nt

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essay [ˈɛseɪ] n (SCOL) → composizione f;

(LITERATURE) → saggio

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essay

n essay [ˈesei]

a written composition; a piece of written prose The examination consists of four essays; Write an essay on/about your holiday. opstel مَقال، مَقالَه есе písemná práce; test essay; skriftlig opgave; stil der Aufsatz πραγματεία, δοκίμιο ensayo, redacción essee مقاله aine, essee rédaction, essai מַאֲמָר प्रयास esej, sastavak esszé karangan ritgerð saggio, composizione 小論 수필 rašinys, esė eseja; sacerējums esei opstel essay, (skole)stil wypracowanie, esej composição eseu, compunere эссе; сочинение písomná práca; esej esej esej essä, uppsats เรียงความ deneme 隨筆 есе; твір کسی موضوع پر کوئی مضمون یا مقالہ bài tiểu luận 随笔