essay
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essay¹
- /ˈɛs.eɪ/ US, UK
- /ɛˈseɪ/
Sounds like ese, SA (sense 1) · Rhymes with -ɛseɪ
Where it comes from
Since late 16th century, borrowed from Middle French essay, essai (“essay”), meaning coined by Montaigne at the same time, from the same words with the earlier meanings 'experiment; assay; attempt', from Old French essay, essai, assay, assai, from Latin exagium (“weight; weighing, testing on the balance”), from exigere + -ium.
noun essays
- A written composition of moderate length, exploring a particular issue or subject. 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.”
- A test, experiment; an assay.
- An attempt. My first essay at getting employment was fruitless; but after no small number of mortifying rebuffs from various parties to whom I applied for assistance, I was at last rewarded by a comparative success.
- A proposed design for a postage stamp or a banknote.
essay²
- /ɛˈseɪ/ UK, US
Where it comes from
From Middle French essayer, essaier, from Old French essaiier, essayer, essaier, assaiier, assayer, assaier, from essay, essai, assay, assai (“attempt; assay; experiment”) as above.
verb essays · essaying · essayed
- To attempt or try. Shall we essay a walk on the promenade?
- To move forth, as into battle.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: try out, examine, prove, test, seek, assay, attempt, try, study, document, editorial, dissertation, article, editor, briefing, copy
Translations
Every language
noun written composition
| Español | ensayo, redacción, monografía, composición escrita |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 수필 supil, 에세이 esei |
| 日本語 | エッセイ essei, 随筆 zuihitsu |
| 中文 | 雜文 /杂文 záwén, 論文 /论文 lùnwén, 作文 zuòwén |
| हिन्दी | निबंध nibandh |
| Kiswahili | insha |
| Português | ensaio, redação |
| Français | essai, rédaction, dissertation |
| Deutsch | Aufsatz, Essay |
| Italiano | saggio, ricerca, studio |
| Ελληνικά | δοκίμιο dokímio, πραγματεία pragmateía, έκθεση ékthesi, σύγγραμα sýngrama |
| Română | eseu |
| Русский | сочине́ние sočinénije, эссе́ essɛ́, о́черк óčerk |
| Tiếng Việt | tiểu luận |
| العربية | مَقَالَة maqāla, بَحْث baḥṯ |
| עברית | מַסָּה masá |
Talk about this word "essay." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/essay. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. essay. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/essay "essay." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/essay.Cite this
@misc{essay_2026,
title = {essay},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/essay},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
