essay
essay is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 4 senses, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 40 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.
Definitions
- 1.(Lit.) A composition treating of any particular subject; -- usually shorter and less methodical than a formal, finished treatise; as, an essay on the life and writings of Homer; an essay on fossils, or on commerce.
- 2.An assay. See Assay, n. [Obs.]
- 3.To exert one's power or faculties upon; to make an effort to perform; to attempt; to endeavor; to make experiment or trial of; to try. What marvel if I thus essay to sing Byron. Essaying nothing she can not perform. Emerson. A danger lest the young enthusiast . . . should essay the impossible. J. C. Shairp.
- 4.To test the value and purity of (metals); to assay. See Assay. [Obs.] Locke.
Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Synonyms
Synonyms (Webster's 1913)
Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Related terms (Roget's 1911)
- adventure
- aim
- article
- attempt
- best
- bold
- canvass
- chance
- commentary
- commentator
- consideration
- coup
- critic
- criticism
- critique
- deal
- debut
- delve
- descant
- discourse
- discoursive
- discursive
- discuss
- discussion
- disquisition
- disquisitionary
- dissert
- dissertation
- editorial
- empirical
- endeavor
- essayist
- excursus
- exertion
- experiment
- experimental
- experimentally
- explanation
- exposition
- expository
Source: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
Related questions
Reverse-dictionary questions
Definition-first questions whose answer is essay.
Sources
- Definitions: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Synonyms: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/word/essay
- Steward: Jason Burns