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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