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]

To-night let us assay our plot. --Shak.

Soft words to his fierce passion she assayed. --Milton.

2. To affect. [Obs.]

When the heart is ill assayed. --Spenser.

3. To try tasting, as food or drink. [Obs.]

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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Assay \As*say"\, n. [OF. asai, essai, trial, F. essa. See Essay, n.]

1. Trial; attempt; essay. [Obs.]

--Chaucer.

I am withal persuaded that it may prove much more easy in the assay than it now seems at distance. --Milton.

2. Examination and determination; test; as, an assay of bread or wine. [Obs.]

This can not be, by no assay of reason. --Shak.

3. Trial by danger or by affliction; adventure; risk; hardship; state of being tried. [Obs.]

Through many hard assays which did betide. --Spenser.

4. Tested purity or value. [Obs.]

With gold and pearl of rich assay. --Spenser.

5. (Metallurgy) The act or process of ascertaining the proportion of a particular metal in an ore or alloy; especially, the determination of the proportion of gold or silver in bullion or coin.

6. The alloy or metal to be assayed. --Ure.

Usage: Assay and essay are radically the same word; but modern usage has appropriated assay chiefly to experiments in metallurgy, and essay to intellectual and bodily efforts. See Essay.

Note: Assay is used adjectively or as the first part of a compound; as, assay balance, assay furnace.

Assay master, an officer who assays or tests gold or silver coin or bullion.

Assay ton, a weight of 29,1662/3 grams.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Assay \As*say"\, v. i. To attempt, try, or endeavor. [Archaic. In this sense essay is now commonly used.]

She thrice assayed to speak. --Dryden.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)