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assay

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assay

 

  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Assay  \As*say"\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Assayed};  p.  pr  &  vb  n. 
  {Assaying}.]  [OF.  asaier  essaier  F.  essayer,  fr  essai.  See 
  {Assay},  n.,  {Essay},  v.] 
  1.  To  try  to  attempt;  to  apply.  [Obs.  or  Archaic] 
 
  To-night  let  us  assay  our  plot.  --Shak. 
 
  Soft  words  to  his  fierce  passion  she  assayed. 
  --Milton. 
 
  2.  To  affect.  [Obs.] 
 
  When  the  heart  is  ill  assayed.  --Spenser. 
 
  3.  To  try  tasting,  as  food  or  drink.  [Obs.] 
 
  4.  To  subject,  as  an  ore,  alloy,  or  other  metallic  compound, 
  to  chemical  or  metallurgical  examination,  in  order  to 
  determine  the  amount  of  a  particular  metal  contained  in 
  it  or  to  ascertain  its  composition. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Assay  \As*say"\,  n.  [OF.  asai,  essai,  trial,  F.  essa.  See 
  {Essay},  n.] 
  1.  Trial;  attempt;  essay.  [Obs.]  --Chaucer. 
 
  I  am  withal  persuaded  that  it  may  prove  much  more 
  easy  in  the  assay  than  it  now  seems  at  distance. 
  --Milton. 
 
  2.  Examination  and  determination;  test;  as  an  assay  of  bread 
  or  wine.  [Obs.] 
 
  This  can  not  be  by  no  assay  of  reason.  --Shak. 
 
  3.  Trial  by  danger  or  by  affliction;  adventure;  risk; 
  hardship;  state  of  being  tried  [Obs.] 
 
  Through  many  hard  assays  which  did  betide. 
  --Spenser. 
 
  4.  Tested  purity  or  value.  [Obs.] 
 
  With  gold  and  pearl  of  rich  assay.  --Spenser. 
 
  5.  (Metallurgy)  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. 
 
  6.  The  alloy  or  metal  to  be  assayed.  --Ure. 
 
  Usage:  {Assay}  and  {essay}  are  radically  the  same  word  but 
  modern  usage  has  appropriated  {assay}  chiefly  to 
  experiments  in  metallurgy,  and  {essay}  to  intellectual 
  and  bodily  efforts.  See  {Essay}. 
 
  Note:  Assay  is  used  adjectively  or  as  the  first  part  of  a 
  compound;  as  assay  balance,  assay  furnace. 
 
  {Assay  master},  an  officer  who  assays  or  tests  gold  or  silver 
  coin  or  bullion. 
 
  {Assay  ton},  a  weight  of  29,1662/3  grams. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Assay  \As*say"\,  v.  i. 
  To  attempt,  try  or  endeavor.  [Archaic.  In  this  sense  essay 
  is  now  commonly  used.] 
 
  She  thrice  assayed  to  speak.  --Dryden. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  assay 
  n  :  an  appraisal  of  the  state  of  affairs;  "they  made  an  assay  of 
  the  contents";  "a  check  on  its  dependability  under 
  stress"  [syn:  {check},  {test}] 
  v  1:  analyze  (chemical  substances) 
  2:  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"  [syn: 
  {try},  {seek},  {attempt},  {essay}]




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