noun
essay
EHS-ay
noun
1
A short piece of writing that explores or argues a particular topic.
"Her essay on climate policy won first prize in the competition."
"Students had two hours to write an essay on a topic of their choice."
verb
1
To attempt or try to do something.
"He essayed a joke, but nobody laughed."
How to Use Essay
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA written piece that examines a topic, or, less commonly, an attempt at something.
Common pairings
write an essay
essay question
personal essay
essay topic
Word Forms
essayed past tense, essays plural, essays singular
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Her _____ on climate policy won first prize in the competition.
Etymology
From French essai, "an attempt" or "a trial" — the writer Montaigne coined the modern literary sense in the late 1500s when he called his own writings "essais," meaning tries or attempts at exploring an idea.