Essay
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɛseɪ
Origin
From Middle French essai.
Full definition of essay
Noun
essay
(plural essays)- A written composition of moderate length exploring a particular issue or subject.
- 2013-01, Katie L. Burke, Ecological Dependency, In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what epidemiologists call “the next big one.â€
- (obsolete) A test, experiment; an assay.
- (now rare) An attempt.
- 1988, James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, Oxford 2003, p. 455:This was Lee's first essay in the kind of offensive-defensive strategy that was to become his hallmark.
Derived terms
Related terms
Verb
- (dated, transitive) To try.
- 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, The House Behind the Cedars, Chapter II,He retraced his steps to the front gate, which he essayed to open.
- (intransitive) To move forth, as into battle.