assay

1 of 2

verb

as·​say a-ˈsā How to pronounce assay (audio) ˈa-ˌsā How to pronounce assay (audio)
assayed; assaying; assays

transitive verb

1
a
: to analyze (something, such as an ore) for one or more specific components
assayed the gold to determine its purity
b
: to judge the worth of : estimate
assay the results of the new changes
2
: try, attempt
Again Israel assayed to reply, but could not.Herman Melville

intransitive verb

: to prove up in an assay
assayer noun

assay

2 of 2

noun

as·​say ˈa-ˌsā How to pronounce assay (audio) a-ˈsā How to pronounce assay (audio)
1
: examination and determination as to characteristics (such as weight, measure, or quality)
2
: analysis (as of an ore or drug) to determine the presence, absence, or quantity of one or more components
also : a test used in this analysis
3
: a substance to be assayed
also : the tabulated result of assaying
4
archaic : trial, attempt

Did you know?

Usage experts warn against confusing the verbs assay and essay. Some confusion shouldn’t be surprising; not only do the two somewhat uncommon words look and sound alike, they also come from the same root, the Middle French word essai, meaning "test" or "effort." (Essai, in turn, comes from the Late Latin word exagium, meaning "act of weighing.") At one time, the two terms were synonyms, sharing the meaning "try" or "attempt," but they are now typically differentiated, with essay meaning "to try or attempt" (as in "a comedic actor essaying her first dramatic role") and assay meaning "to test or evaluate" (as in "blood assayed to detect the presence of the antibody"). Of course, essay is more common as a noun referring to a short analytic or personal literary composition, but that’s another essay.

Examples of assay in a Sentence

Verb They assayed the gold to determine its purity. the company assayed a sample of the rock to see if it contained gold in quantities worth mining Noun a metallurgist did an assay on the metal and determined it contained nickel the poem about a frustrated man's last assay at greatness
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The plan, which has a capital cost estimate of US$3.3 billion, is to mine ore at Mt Bevan, located in central Western Australia, upgrading it from a run-of-mine 33.52% iron into a concentrated product assaying more than 70% iron. Tim Treadgold, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 The 950-pound rover could navigate treacherous lunar terrain to reach a site of interest, assay the soil’s ice content with three-foot-deep drilling and then move on to another location to do it all again. Michael Greshko, Scientific American, 24 July 2024
Noun
The intersections between cultural assay and quotidian life must have been all around her as the wife of an English literature professor jockeying for tenure. Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024 Impressive copper rich outcrops (formed from blue azurite, a copper oxide) have been identified with many assay results in the laboratory, including channel sampling up to 192 m long (Picture 1). Sacramento Bee, 2 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for assay 

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French assai, essai — more at essay entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Time Traveler
The first known use of assay was in the 14th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near assay

Cite this Entry

“Assay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assay. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

assay

1 of 2 noun
as·​say ˈas-ˌā How to pronounce assay (audio)
a-ˈsā
: examination (as of an ore, metal, or drug) for the purpose of determining the presence, absence, or amount of one or more substances

assay

2 of 2 verb
as·​say a-ˈsā How to pronounce assay (audio)
ˈas-ˌā
1
2
: to analyze (as an ore) for one or more valuable substances
assayer noun

Medical Definition

assay

1 of 2 noun
as·​say ˈas-ˌā How to pronounce assay (audio) a-ˈsā How to pronounce assay (audio)
1
: examination and determination as to characteristics (as weight, measure, or quality)
2
: analysis (as of a drug) to determine the presence, absence, or quantity of one or more components compare bioassay
3
: a substance to be assayed
also : the tabulated result of assaying

assay

2 of 2 transitive verb
as·​say a-ˈsā How to pronounce assay (audio) ˈas-ˌā How to pronounce assay (audio)
: to analyze (an impure substance or mixture) for one or more specific components
the sample was assayed for drug content

More from Merriam-Webster on assay

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!