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to examine or -n-lyze:
to -ssay a situation; to -ssay an event.
metallurgy. to -n-lyze (an ore, alloy, etc.) in order to determine the quant-ty of gold, silver, or other metal in it.
pharmacology. to subject (a drug) to an -n-lysis for the determination of its potency or composition.
to judge the quality of; -ssess; evaluate:
to -ssay someone’s efforts.
to try or test; put to trial:
to -ssay one’s strength; to -ssay one’s debating abilities.
to attempt; try; essay:
to -ssay a dance step.
to contain, as shown by -n-lysis, a certain proportion of usually precious metal.
metallurgy. determination of the amount of metal, especially gold or silver, in an ore, alloy, etc.
a substance undergoing -n-lysis or trial.
a detailed report of the findings in -ssaying a substance.
archaic. examination; trial; attempt; essay.
historical examples

guffaws suddenly rose from the little crowd by the -ssayer’s sign.
rimrock trail j. allan dunn

wouldn’t it be wiser to tell the -ssayer and get him to help?
tabitha’s vacation ruth alberta brown

“it’s from the -ssayer; i left word at the settlement for the message to be sent on,” he explained.
for the allinson honor harold bindloss

one of these days we shall have to appoint an -ssayer of consciences at the mint.
napoleon the little victor hugo

the -ssayer, bewildered at sandy’s -ssumption of friendship, waved his hand deprecatingly.
rimrock trail j. allan dunn

sandy introduced sam as his partner, westlake as a mining engineer and -ssayer.
rimrock trail j. allan dunn

and on other grounds the determination of a specific gravity is one of the operations with which an -ssayer should be familiar.
a textbook of -ssaying: for the use of those connected with mines. cornelius beringer and john jacob beringer

the -ssayer of provinces spent most of his time trout-fishing.
safar nameh, persian pictures gertrude bell

tom had returned before this with reports from the -ssayer and copies of the filing of the claims.
ruth fielding in the saddle alice b. emerson

“we might try little aleck smith, the teamster,” said the -ssayer, thoughtfully.
the trail of the badger sidford f. hamp

verb (əˈseɪ)
to subject (a substance, such as silver or gold) to chemical -n-lysis, as in the determination of the amount of impurity
(transitive) to attempt (something or to do something)
(transitive; may take a clause as object) to test, -n-lyse, or evaluate: to -ssay the significance of early childhood experience
noun (əˈseɪ; ˈæseɪ)

an -n-lysis, esp a determination of the amount of metal in an ore or the amounts of impurities in a precious metal
(as modifier): an -ssay office

a substance undergoing an -n-lysis
a written report on the results of an -n-lysis
a test
(archaic) an attempt
v.

c.1300, “to try, endeavor, strive; test the quality of,” from anglo-french -ssaier, from -ssai (n.), from old french essai “trial” (see essay).
n.

“trial, test of quality, test of character,” mid-14c., from anglo-french -ssai (see -ssay (v.)). meaning “-n-lysis” is from late 14c.

-ssay as·say (ās’ā’, ā-sā’)
n.

qualitative or quant-tative -n-lysis of a substance, especially of an ore or a drug, to determine its components.

a substance to be so -n-lyzed.

the result of such an -n-lysis.

an -n-lysis or examination.

v. as·sayed, as·say·ing, as·says (ā-sā’, ās’ā’)

to subject a substance to chemical -n-lysis.

to examine a person’s capability by trial or experiment; put to a test.

to evaluate a situation; -ssess.

to attempt; try.

to be shown by -n-lysis to contain a certain proportion of atoms, molecules, compounds, or precious metal.

-ssay
(ās’ā, ə-sā’)

a quant-tative determination of the amount of a given substance in a particular sample. -ssays are regularly used to determine the purity of precious metals. they can be performed by wet methods or dry methods. in the wet method, the sample is dissolved in a reagent, like an acid, until the purified metal is separated out. in the dry method, the sample is mixed with a flux (a substance such as borax or silica that helps lower the melting temperature) and then heated to the point where impurities in the metal fuse with the flux, leaving the purified metal as a residue.

a bio-ssay.