essai

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French, from Old French essai, from Late Latin exagium (“weighing”), hence English assay (compare also Spanish ensayo), from Latin exigō; the original sense of "trial" (if the gold is good) drifted towards a general meaning of "attempt". The literary meaning is given by Michel de Montaigne's masterpiece.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e.sɛ/, /ɛ.sɛ/ ~ /e.sɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

essai m (plural essais)

1. try, trial

   Il a gagné après plusieurs essais. ― He won after numerous tries.

   Synonym: tentative

2. assay
3. (rugby) try

   Elle a marqué son deuxième essai du match. ― She's scored her second try of the match.

4. essay, composition of moderate length exploring a particular issue or subject

   Un essai est un livre pour faire des livres; il ne peut passer pour bon qu'en raison du nombre de fétus d'ouvrages qu'il renferme. (Chateaubr., Essai Révol., t. 2, 1797)

Derived terms

• ballon d’essai
• banc d’essai
• coup d’essai
• essai de pénalité
• tube à essai

Related terms

• essayer

Further reading

• “essai”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• aises, aisés

Old French

Etymology

From Late Latin exagium, from Latin exigō.

Noun

essai oblique singular, m (oblique plural essais, nominative singular essais, nominative plural essai)

1. trial (task of considerable difficulty)

Related terms

• essaier

Descendants

• Anglo Norman: assai
  • → English: assay
• Middle French: essai
  • French: essai
  • → English: essay