assay

assay

an analysis of a substance, esp. of an ore or drug: His find required an assay to determine its value.

Not to be confused with:

essay – try; subject to a test; a short literary composition: She wrote an essay for her final exam.

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

as·say

 (ăs′ā′, ă-sā′)

n.

1.

a. Qualitative or quantitative analysis of a metal or ore to determine its components.

b. A substance to be so analyzed.

c. The result of such an analysis.

2. A bioassay.

3. An analysis or examination.

4. Archaic An attempt; an essay.

v. (ă-sā′, ăs′ā′) as·sayed, as·say·ing, as·says

v.tr.

1.

a. To subject (a metal, for example) to chemical analysis so as to determine the strength or quality of its components.

b. To bioassay.

2. To examine by trial or experiment; put to a test: assay one's ability to speak Chinese.

3. To evaluate; assess: assayed the situation before taking action.

4. To attempt; try: "Singers of every race and nationality have by now assayed the role" (Barry Singer).

v.intr.

To be shown by analysis to contain a certain proportion of usually precious metal.

---

[Middle English, from Old French essai, assai; see essay.]

---

as·say′a·ble adj.

as·say′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

assay

vb

1. (Chemistry) to subject (a substance, such as silver or gold) to chemical analysis, as in the determination of the amount of impurity

2. (tr) to attempt (something or to do something)

3. (tr; may take a clause as object) to test, analyse, or evaluate: to assay the significance of early childhood experience.

n

4. (Chemistry)

a. an analysis, esp a determination of the amount of metal in an ore or the amounts of impurities in a precious metal

b. (as modifier): an assay office.

5. (Elements & Compounds) a substance undergoing an analysis

6. (Chemistry) a written report on the results of an analysis

7. a test

8. archaic an attempt

[C14: from Old Northern French assai; see essay]

asˈsayable adj

asˈsayer n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

as•say

(v. æˈseɪ; n. ˈæs eɪ, æˈseɪ)

v.t.

1. to examine or analyze: to assay a situation.

2. to analyze (an ore, alloy, etc.) to determine the content of gold, silver, or other metal.

3. to analyze (a drug) to determine potency or composition.

4. to test or evaluate: to assay one's strength.

5. to attempt; try; essay: to assay a dance step.

n.

6. an analysis of the composition or strength of a substance, esp. a determination of the amount of metal in an ore, alloy, etc.

7. a substance undergoing analysis or trial.

8. a detailed report of the findings in assaying a substance.

9. Archaic. examination; trial; attempt.

[1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French; variant of essay]

as•say′a•ble, adj.

as•say′er, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

assay

Past participle: assayed
Gerund: assaying

Imperative

assay

assay

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	assay - an appraisal of the state of affairs; "they made an assay of the contents"; "a check on its dependability under stress" check appraisal, assessment - the classification of someone or something with respect to its worth double check, countercheck - something that checks the correctness of a previous check Apgar score - an assessment of the physical condition of a newborn infant; involves heart rate and muscle tone and respiratory effort and color and reflex responsiveness paternity test - a test based on blood groups to determine whether a particular man could be the biological father of a particular child; negative results prove he was not the father but positive results show only that he could be stress test - a test measuring how a system functions when subjected to controlled amounts of stress
	2.	assay - a substance that is undergoing an analysis of its components substance - a particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties; "shigella is one of the most toxic substances known to man"
	3.	assay - a written report of the results of an analysis of the composition of some substance report, written report, study - a written document describing the findings of some individual or group; "this accords with the recent study by Hill and Dale"
	4.	assay - a quantitative or qualitative test of a substance (especially an ore or a drug) to determine its components; frequently used to test for the presence or concentration of infectious agents or antibodies etc. trial, run, test - the act of testing something; "in the experimental trials the amount of carbon was measured separately"; "he called each flip of the coin a new trial" ELISA, enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay - an assay that relies on an enzymatic conversion reaction and is used to detect the presence of specific substances (such as enzymes or viruses or antibodies or bacteria) immunohistochemistry - an assay that shows specific antigens in tissues by the use of markers that are either fluorescent dyes or enzymes (such as horseradish peroxidase) diagnostic assay, diagnostic test - an assay conducted for diagnostic purposes bioassay, bio-assay - appraisal of the biological activity of a substance by testing its effect on an organism and comparing the result with some agreed standard
Verb	1.	assay - analyze (chemical substances)   analyse, analyze, examine, study, canvass, canvas - consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning; "analyze a sonnet by Shakespeare"; "analyze the evidence in a criminal trial"; "analyze your real motives" bioassay - subject to a bio-assay
	2.	assay - 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, essay, try, 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"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

assay

verb analyse, examine, investigate, assess, weigh, evaluate, inspect, try, appraise She sat down and assayed me with her large brown eyes.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

assay

noun

1. A procedure that ascertains effectiveness, value, proper function, or other quality:

essay, proof, test, trial, tryout.

2. Archaic. A trying to do or make something:

attempt, crack, effort, endeavor, essay, go, offer, stab, trial, try.

Informal: shot.

Slang: take.

verb

1. To subject to a procedure that ascertains effectiveness, value, proper function, or other quality:

check, essay, examine, prove, test, try, try out.

Idioms: bring to the test, make trial of, put to the proof.

2. To make a judgment as to the worth or value of:

appraise, assess, calculate, estimate, evaluate, gauge, judge, rate, size up, valuate, value.

Idiom: take the measure of.

3. To make an attempt to do or make:

attempt, endeavor, essay, seek, strive, try.

Idioms: have a go at, have a shot at, have a whack at, make a stab at, take a crack at.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

Assay

aquilatar

analysoidaanalyysi

analyserappréciationapprécieressayerestimer

saggiaresaggioanalisi [di metalli]assaggiomettere alla prova

ensaiar

assay

A. [əˈseɪ] N [of metal, mineral, etc] → ensayo m; [of gold] → ensayo m, aquilatamiento m

B. VT

1. [+ metal, mineral, etc] → ensayar; [+ gold] → ensayar, aquilatar (fig) → intentar, probar

2. (archaic) (= try) to assay to + INFIN → intentar + infin

C. CPD assay mark N → señal f de ensayo
assay office N → oficina f de ensayo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

assay

n → Prüfung f

vt

mineral, ore, value, sb’s worth → prüfen

(liter) (= try) → sich versuchen an (+dat); (= put to the test) troops → prüfen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

as·say

n. ensayo; análisis.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

assay

n ensayo, análisis m, prueba; interferon gamma release — ensayo de liberación de interferón gamma, prueba del interferón gamma (fam)

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.