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assay

as·say [ á sày ]


noun  (plural as·says)
Definition:
 
1. analysis of something: an examination and analysis of something

2. chemistry chemical analysis of substance: chemical testing carried out to determine the composition of a substance or the concentration of its components

3. sample of material: a sample of material for analysis

4. attempt at something: an attempt to do something ( archaic )



transitive verb  (past and past participle as·sayed, present participle as·say·ing, 3rd person present singular as·says)
Definition:
 
1. examine something: to examine or test something with a view to evaluating it

2. attempt something: to make an attempt to do something ( formal )

3. chemistry analyze substance: to analyze a substance such as an ore in order to discover its components and their concentration

[14th century. < Old French assai "test" and its source assaier "to test," variant of essaier (see essay)]

as·say·a·ble [ a sáyəb'l ] adjective
as·say·er noun
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