essai
French edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Middle French, from Old French essai, from Late Latin exagium (“weighing”), hence English assay (compare also Spanish ensayo), from Latin exigō; the original sense of "trial" (if the gold is good) drifted towards a general meaning of "attempt". The literary meaning is given by Michel de Montaigne's masterpiece.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
essai m (plural essais)
- try, trial
- Il a gagné après plusieurs essais. ― He won after numerous tries.
- Synonym: tentative
- assay
- (rugby) try
- Elle a marqué son deuxième essai du match. ― She's scored her second try of the match.
- essay, composition of moderate length exploring a particular issue or subject
- Un essai est un livre pour faire des livres; il ne peut passer pour bon qu'en raison du nombre de fétus d'ouvrages qu'il renferme. (Chateaubr., Essai Révol., t. 2, 1797)
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- “essai”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams edit
Old French edit
Etymology edit
From Late Latin exagium, from Latin exigō.
Noun edit
essai oblique singular, m (oblique plural essais, nominative singular essais, nominative plural essai)
- trial (task of considerable difficulty)