essay (n.)

  1. an analytic or interpretive literary composition

  2. a tentative attempt

    essay (v.)

  1. 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 , assay ]

  2. put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; This approach has been tried with good results; Test this recipe

    [ Syn: test , prove , try , try out , examine ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.