| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| assay |
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| SYLLABICATION: | as·say |
| PRONUNCIATION: |   s   , -s |
| NOUN: | 1a. Qualitative or quantitative analysis of a substance, especially of an ore or drug, to determine its components. b. A substance to be so analyzed. c. The result of such an analysis. 2. An analysis or examination. 3. Archaic An attempt; an essay. | | VERB: | Inflected forms: as·sayed, as·say·ing, as·says
(-s, s) | | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To subject to chemical analysis. 2. To examine by trial or experiment; put to a test: assay one's ability to speak Chinese. 3. To evaluate; assess: assayed the situation before taking action. See synonyms at estimate. 4. To attempt; try. | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | To be shown by analysis to contain a certain proportion of usually precious metal. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, from Old French essai, assai. See essay. | | OTHER FORMS: | as·saya·ble —ADJECTIVE
as·sayer —NOUN
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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