/ˈæseɪ/, /əˈseɪ/
OriginFrom Middle English assay (noun) and assayen (verb), from Anglo-Norman assai (noun) and Anglo-Norman assaier (verb), from Old French essai. Doublet of essay.
- Trial, attempt.
“I am withal persuaded that it may prove much more easy in the assay than it now seems at distance.”
- Examination and determination; test.
“This cannot be, by no assay of reason.”
- The qualitative or quantitative chemical analysis of something.
- Trial by danger or by affliction; adventure; risk; hardship; state of being tried.
“Through many hard assayes which did betide.”
- Tested purity or value.
“Purfled with gold and pearl of rich assay.”
- The act or process of ascertaining the proportion of a particular metal in an ore or alloy; especially, the determination of the proportion of gold or silver in bullion or coin.
- The alloy or metal to be assayed.
- transitiveTo attempt (something).
“To-night let us assay our plot.”
“Soft words to his fierce passion she assayed.”
“Who seest the stark array
And hast not stayed to count
But singly wilt assay
The many-cannoned mount[…].”
- archaic, intransitiveTo try, attempt (to do something).
“When Saul cam to Jerusalem he assayde to cople hymsilfe with the apostles, and they wer all afrayde of hym and beleved not that he was a disciple.”
- transitiveTo analyze or estimate the composition or value of (a metal, ore etc.).
- obsolete, transitiveTo test the abilities of (someone) in combat; to fight.
“I wold not by my wille that ony of vs were matched with hym
Nay said sir Gawayne not so
it were shame to vs were he not assayed were he neuer soo good a knyghte”
“The marquis, in obsession for his wife,
Longed to expose her constancy to test.
He could not throw the thought away or rest,
Having a marvellous passion to assay her;
Needless, God knows, to frighten ”
- To affect.
“when the heart is ill assay'd”
- To try tasting, as food or drink.
Formsassays(plural) · assays(present, singular, third-person) · assaying(participle, present) · assayed(participle, past) · assayed(past)