assay

[a-sey, as-ey, a-sey]

verb (used with object)

1. to examine or analyze.

   to assay a situation; to assay an event.

2. Metallurgy.,  to analyze (an ore, alloy, etc.) in order to determine the quantity of gold, silver, or other metal in it.

3. Pharmacology.,  to subject (a drug) to an analysis for the determination of its potency or composition.

4. to judge the quality of; assess; evaluate.

   to assay someone's efforts.

5. to try or test; put to trial.

   to assay one's strength; to assay one's debating abilities.

6. to attempt; try; essay.

   to assay a dance step.

verb (used without object)

1. to contain, as shown by analysis, a certain proportion of usually precious metal.

noun

1. Metallurgy.,  determination of the amount of metal, especially gold or silver, in an ore, alloy, etc.

2. a substance undergoing analysis or trial.

3. a detailed report of the findings in assaying a substance.

4. Archaic.,  examination; trial; attempt; essay.

assay

verb

1. to subject (a substance, such as silver or gold) to chemical analysis, as in the determination of the amount of impurity

2. (tr) to attempt (something or to do something)

3. (tr; may take a clause as object) to test, analyse, or evaluate

   to assay the significance of early childhood experience

noun

1. 1. an analysis, esp a determination of the amount of metal in an ore or the amounts of impurities in a precious metal

   2. ( as modifier )

      an assay office

2. a substance undergoing an analysis

3. a written report on the results of an analysis

4. a test

5. archaic,  an attempt

assay

1. A quantitative determination of the amount of a given substance in a particular sample. Assays 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 the sample is heated to the point where impurities in the metal fuse with the flux, leaving the purified metal as a residue.

2. A bioassay.

Other Word Forms

• assayable adjective
• assayer noun
• unassayed adjective
• unassaying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of assay¹

1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French; variant of essay

Word History and Origins

Origin of assay¹

C14: from Old Northern French assai; see _essay

Example Sentences

Further tests, including RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence, and biochemical assays, confirmed that lysosomes in these cells were indeed defective.

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Using an assay created by the Crick researchers, they confirmed that these compounds successfully blocked the RAS-PI3K interaction but still allowed PI3K to perform its other roles, including those related to insulin signaling.

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Further, we deployed in vitro assays such as a liposome model and cell culture techniques to investigate the mouse and the human version of the protein to find out if they work similar.

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Dash, whose team includes former software engineers from Moderna, automates common laboratory tests such as Elisa, or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, which is used for tasks such as evaluating a drug’s safety and efficacy.

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We set up an inhibition assay in test tubes.

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