assay

The definition of assay is to test or survey, especially to determine the quantity of metal that a mixture has or to test a medicine.

(verb)

An example of the word assay is when a teacher observes her classroom to determine what the students are doing.
An example of the word assay is to look at a known alloy to determine if it has any metal of value worth separating.
An example of the word assay is when the FDA examines a drug before it is allowed to be sold in the U.S.

An assay is defined as the finding of how much metal is in an alloy.

(noun)

An example of an assay is a scientific look into the compilation of a substance that is believed to have gold in it.

Assay means something that is being evaluated or assessed, or is a declaration of the results of that test.

(noun)

An example of an assay may be a new allergy medicine being analyzed by the FDA.
An example of an assay is the report that the FDA will publish after analyzing a new medicine.

See assay in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

an examination or testing
the analysis of an ore, alloy, drug, etc. to determine the nature, proportion, or purity of the ingredients
a substance to be thus tested or analyzed
the result or report of such an analysis
Now Rare an attempt

Origin: ME & Anglo-Fr assai < OFr essai, trial: see essay, n.

transitive verb

intransitive verb

to be shown by analysis to contain a specified proportion of some component: this ore assays high in gold

Related Forms:

See assay in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

a. Qualitative or quantitative analysis of a metal or ore to determine its components.
b. A substance to be so analyzed.
c. The result of such an analysis.
An analysis or examination.
A bioassay.
Archaic An attempt; an essay.

verb (ă-sāˈ, ăsˈāˌ) as·sayed, as·say·ing, as·says

verb, transitive

a. To subject (a metal, for example) to chemical analysis so as to determine the strength or quality of its components.
b. To bioassay.
To examine by trial or experiment; put to a test: assay one's ability to speak Chinese.
To evaluate; assess: assayed the situation before taking action. See Synonyms at estimate.
To attempt; try.

verb, intransitive

To be shown by analysis to contain a certain proportion of usually precious metal.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Old French essai, assai; see essay

Related Forms: