essay

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɛseɪ

Etymology

From Middle French essai.

Noun

essay (plural essays)

1. A written composition of moderate length exploring a particular issue or subject.
2. (obsolete) A test, experiment; an assay.
3. (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

• photo essay

Related terms

• essayist
• essayistic

Translations

written composition

Arabic: مقالة (ar) (maqaala) f., بحث (ar) (baHth) m. Bulgarian: есе (bg) n., съчинение (bg) n. Chinese: Mandarin: 雜文 (zh), 杂文 (zh) (záwén) Czech: esej (cs) m. Dutch: essay (nl) n., opstel (nl) n. Esperanto: eseo (eo) Finnish: essee, kirjoitelma French: essai (fr) m., mémoire (fr) m., dissertation (fr) f., rédaction (fr) f. German: Aufsatz (de) m., Essay (de) n. Greek: δοκίμιο n. (dokímio), επιφυλλίδα (el) (epifilída) f., έκθεση (el) (ékθesi) f. Indonesian: esai (id)

Irish: aiste (ga) f. Italian: saggio (it), ricerca (it) f., studio (it) m. Japanese: エッセイ (ja) (essei), 随筆 (ja) (ずいひつ, zuihitsu) Korean: 수필 (ko) (supil) (隨筆 (ko)) Polish: esej (pl) m. Portuguese: ensaio (pt) m. Russian: сочинение (ru) (sočinénije) n., эссе (ru) (essɛ́) n. (indeclinable) Slovene: esej (sl) m. Spanish: ensayo (es) m. Swedish: essä (sv) c. Turkish: deneme (tr) Welsh: traethawd (cy) m.

an attempt

Arabic: محاولة (muHawála) Bulgarian: опит (bg) m., проба (bg) f. Czech: zkouška (cs) f., pokus (cs) m. Dutch: poging (nl) f. German: Versuch (de) m.

Greek: δοκιμή (el) (dokimí) f. Italian: tentativo (it) m., prova (it) f. Portuguese: ensaio (pt) m., tentativa (pt) f. Slovene: poskus (sl) m. Spanish: ensayo (es) m.

Verb

essay (third-person singular simple present essays, present participle essaying, simple past and past participle essayed)

1. (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.

2. (intransitive) To move forth, as into battle.

Translations

To try

Bulgarian: опитвам се (bg) Danish: prøve (da), forsøge (da)

Greek: αποπειρώμαι (el) (apopiróme), δοκιμάζω (el) (dokimázo) Portuguese: ensaiar (pt), tentar (pt)

Anagrams

• eyass