essay

American  

[es-ey, es-ey, e-sey, e-sey] / ˈɛs eɪ, ˈɛs eɪ, ɛˈseɪ, ɛˈseɪ /

noun

1. a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.

2. anything resembling such a composition.

   a picture essay.

3. an effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt.

4. Philately. a design for a proposed stamp differing in any way from the design of the stamp as issued.

5. Obsolete. a tentative effort; trial; assay.

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verb (used with object)

1. to try; attempt.

2. to put to the test; make trial of.

essay British  

noun

1. a short literary composition dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively

2. an attempt or endeavour; effort

3. a test or trial

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verb

1. to attempt or endeavour; try

2. to test or try out

essay Cultural  

1. A short piece of writing on one subject, usually presenting the author's own views. Michel de Montaigne, Francis Bacon (see also Bacon), and Ralph Waldo Emerson are celebrated for their essays.

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Other Word Forms

• essayer noun
• preessay verb (used without object)
• unessayed adjective
• well-essayed adjective

Etymology

Origin of essay

First recorded in 1475–85; from Middle French essayer, from Late Latin exagium “a weighing,” from exag(ere) (unrecorded) “to examine, test,” literally, “to drive out, thrust out” (from Latin exigere; exact ) + -ium -ium

Example Sentences

Her first essay collection, “Underneath the Palm Trees,” is forthcoming in early 2027.

From Los Angeles Times

Thus each essay is an informed, individual response to the chosen work.

From The Wall Street Journal

Since the colonial period the Hebrew Bible has shaped American political culture—as Rabbi Dov Lerner of Yeshiva University points out in his essay.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The Canadian economy is in dire need of a cultural transformation,” Wiseman wrote in an essay published in April 2024 in Toronto’s Globe and Mail newspaper.

From The Wall Street Journal

Well-written essays introduce each chapter; long captions for family and team photos function as yearbook entries.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• article
• discussion
• dissertation
• manuscript
• paper
• piece
• study
• thesis
• treatise