Assayers

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

in this place i ought not to omit mention of another method of -ssaying employed by some -ssayers.
de re metallica georgius agricola

they are the same as those used by -ssayers in their ordinary furnaces.
a dictionary of arts, manufactures and mines andrew ure

some -ssayers use a little powdered fluor-spar to -ssist the fusion of refractory slags.
a textbook of -ssaying: for the use of those connected with mines. cornelius beringer and john jacob beringer

you see we -ssayers have to take the word of the miners as to where the ore comes from.
d-ck hamilton’s fortune howard r. garis

-ssayers of our own day, however, generally make the cupels from beech ashes.
de re metallica georgius agricola

out of the return of the twenty -ssayers of the different smelters, probably not a half per cent.
chambers’s edinburgh journal, no. 458 various

some -ssayers advise cleaning by dipping in warm dilute hydrochloric acid followed by washing in water and drying.
a textbook of -ssaying: for the use of those connected with mines. cornelius beringer and john jacob beringer

twas even reported that they took a sample of the right stuff to the -ssayers office.
the heart of canyon p-ss thomas k. holmes

some -ssayers cover their pots with a flat cover placed loosely on, while others leave the mixture in the open pot.
a textbook of -ssaying: for the use of those connected with mines. cornelius beringer and john jacob beringer

such experiments are often made by -ssayers, but seldom recorded.
a textbook of -ssaying: for the use of those connected with mines. cornelius beringer and john jacob beringer

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.