Emily Dickinson Lexicon

ES-SAY', v.t. [Fr. essayer; Norm. essoyer; Arm. æczaca; D. zoeken, to seek; bezoeken, verzoeken, to essay; G. suchen, to seek; versuchen, to essay; Dan. forsöger; Sw. försökia; Sp. ensayar; Port. ensaiar; It. saggiare, assaggiare. The primary word is seek, the same as L. sequor. See Seek. The radical sense is to press, drive, urge, strain, strive, Ch. אסק. Class Sg, No. 46.]

1. To try; to attempt; to endeavor; to exert one's power or faculties, or to make an effort to perform any thing. While I this unexampled task essay. Blackmore.
2. To make experiment of.
3. To try the value and purity of metals. In this application, the word is now more generally written assay, – which see.