Assay
from
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
assay
n 1: an appraisal of the state of affairs; "they made an assay
of the contents"; "a check on its dependability under
stress" [syn: {assay}, {check}]
2: a substance that is undergoing an analysis of its components
3: a written report of the results of an analysis of the
composition of some substance
4: a quantitative or qualitative test of a substance (especially
an ore or a drug) to determine its components; frequently
used to test for the presence or concentration of infectious
agents or antibodies etc.
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}, {assay}]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Assay \As*say"\, n. [OF. asai, essai, trial, F. essa. See
{Essay}, n.]
1. Trial; attempt; essay. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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I am withal persuaded that it may prove much more
easy in the assay than it now seems at distance.
--Milton.
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2. Examination and determination; test; as, an assay of bread
or wine. [Obs.]
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This can not be, by no assay of reason. --Shak.
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3. Trial by danger or by affliction; adventure; risk;
hardship; state of being tried. [Obs.]
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Through many hard assays which did betide.
--Spenser.
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4. Tested purity or value. [Obs.]
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With gold and pearl of rich assay. --Spenser.
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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.
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6. The alloy or metal to be assayed. --Ure.
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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}.
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Note: Assay is used adjectively or as the first part of a
compound; as, assay balance, assay furnace.
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{Assay master}, an officer who assays or tests gold or silver
coin or bullion.
{Assay ton}, a weight of 29,1662/3 grams.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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]
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To-night let us assay our plot. --Shak.
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Soft words to his fierce passion she assayed.
--Milton.
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2. To affect. [Obs.]
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When the heart is ill assayed. --Spenser.
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3. To try tasting, as food or drink. [Obs.]
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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.
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from
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
ASSAY. A chemical examination of metals, by which the quantity of valuable
or precious metal contained in any mineral or metallic mixture is
ascertained. 2. By the acts of Congress of March 3, 1823, 3 Story's L. U. S.
1924; of June 25, 1834, 4 Shars. cont. Story's L. U. S. 2373; and of June
28, 1834, Id. 2377, it is made the duty of the secretary of the treasury to
cause assays to be made at the mint of the United States, of certain coins
made current by the said acts, and to make report of the result thereof to
congress.
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
144 Moby Thesaurus words for "assay":
acid test, analysis, analyzation, analyze, anatomize, anatomizing,
anatomy, appraise, appreciate, approach, assaying, assess, attempt,
bid, blank determination, break down, break up, breakdown,
breaking down, breaking up, breakup, bring to test, brouillon,
calculate, calibrate, caliper, chance, check a parameter, compute,
confirm, crack, criterion, crucial test, crucible, cut and try,
determination, dial, dissect, dissection, divide, division,
docimasy, effort, endeavor, engage, essay, estimate, evaluate,
experiment, fathom, feeling out, first draft, fling, gambit, gauge,
give a try, give a tryout, go, graduate, gravimetric analysis,
have a go, kiteflying, lick, lift a finger, make an attempt,
make an effort, measure, mensurate, mete, meter, move, offer,
ordeal, pace, play around with, plumb, practice upon, prize,
probation, probe, proof, prove, proximate analysis, put to trial,
quantify, quantitative analysis, quantize, rate, reduce,
reduce to elements, reduction to elements, research, resolution,
resolve, road-test, rough draft, rough sketch, run a sample,
sample, segment, segmentation, semimicroanalysis, separate,
separation, shake down, shot, size, size up, sound, sounding out,
span, stab, standard, step, stroke, strong bid, subdivide,
subdivision, substantiate, survey, take a reading, taste,
tentative, test, test case, touchstone, trial, trial and error,
triangulate, try, try it on, try out, undertake, undertaking,
validate, valuate, value, venture, venture on, venture upon,
verification, verify, weigh, whack
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