essay meaning in merriam webster

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[ noun es -ey es -ey , e- sey verb e- sey ]

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

a picture essay.

• an effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt.
• Philately. a design for a proposed stamp differing in any way from the design of the stamp as issued.
• Obsolete. a tentative effort; trial; assay.

verb (used with object)

• to try; attempt.
• to put to the test; make trial of.
• a short literary composition dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively
• an attempt or endeavour; effort
• a test or trial
• to attempt or endeavour; try
• to test or try out
• 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.

Other Words From

• es·sayer noun
• prees·say verb (used without object)
• unes·sayed adjective
• well-es·sayed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of essay 1

Example Sentences

As several of my colleagues commented, the result is good enough that it could pass for an essay written by a first-year undergraduate, and even get a pretty decent grade.

GPT-3 also raises concerns about the future of essay writing in the education system.

This little essay helps focus on self-knowledge in what you’re best at, and how you should prioritize your time.

As Steven Feldstein argues in the opening essay, technonationalism plays a part in the strengthening of other autocracies too.

He’s written a collection of essays on civil engineering life titled Bridginess, and to this day he and Lauren go on “bridge dates,” where they enjoy a meal and admire the view of a nearby span.

I think a certain kind of compelling essay has a piece of that.

The current attack on the Jews,” he wrote in a 1937 essay, “targets not just this people of 15 million but mankind as such.

The impulse to interpret seems to me what makes personal essay writing compelling.

To be honest, I think a lot of good essay writing comes out of that.

Someone recently sent me an old Joan Didion essay on self-respect that appeared in Vogue.

There is more of the uplifted forefinger and the reiterated point than I should have allowed myself in an essay.

Consequently he was able to turn in a clear essay upon the subject, which, upon examination, the king found to be free from error.

It is no part of the present essay to attempt to detail the particulars of a code of social legislation.

But angels and ministers of grace defend us from ministers of religion who essay art criticism!

It is fit that the imagination, which is free to go through all things, should essay such excursions.

Related Words

• dissertation

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of essay in English

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• I want to finish off this essay before I go to bed .
• His essay was full of spelling errors .
• Have you given that essay in yet ?
• Have you handed in your history essay yet ?
• I'd like to discuss the first point in your essay.
• boilerplate
• composition
• corresponding author
• dissertation
• essay question
• peer review
• go after someone
• go all out idiom
• go down swinging/fighting idiom
• go for it idiom
• go for someone
• shoot for the moon idiom
• shoot the works idiom
• smarten (someone/something) up
• smarten up your act idiom
• square the circle idiom

essay | Intermediate English

Examples of essay, collocations with essay.

These are words often used in combination with essay .

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

Translations of essay

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Word of the Day

lunar calendar

any of various systems for measuring the days, weeks, and months of the year that are based on the phases of the moon (= the regular changes in the shape of the moon as it appears to us on earth)

In for a penny, in for a pound: Idioms in The Thursday Murder Club

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Other forms: essays; essayed; essaying

A composition that is usually short and has a literary theme is called an essay . You should probably start writing your essay on "To Kill a Mockingbird" sometime before the bus ride to school the day it is due.

As a noun, an essay is also an attempt, especially a tentative initial one. Your essay to make friends at your new school would probably work better if you actually spoke to other students. As a verb, to essay is to make an attempt. If you essay to run for student council, you might lose to the girl who promises more recess, longer lunches, and less homework.

• noun an analytic or interpretive literary composition see more see less types: show 5 types... hide 5 types... composition , paper , report , theme an essay (especially one written as an assignment) disquisition an elaborate analytical or explanatory essay or discussion memoir an essay on a scientific or scholarly topic thanatopsis an essay expressing a view on the subject of death term paper a composition intended to indicate a student's progress during a school term type of: piece of writing , writing , written material the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect)
• verb make an effort or attempt “The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps” synonyms: assay , attempt , seek , try see more see less types: show 17 types... hide 17 types... pick up the gauntlet , take a dare be dared to do something and attempt it fight , struggle make a strenuous or labored effort give it a try , have a go make an attempt at something grope search blindly or uncertainly endeavor , endeavour , strive attempt by employing effort give it a try , give it a whirl try adventure , chance , gamble , hazard , risk , run a risk , take a chance , take chances take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome lay on the line , put on the line , risk expose to a chance of loss or damage strive , struggle exert strenuous effort against opposition drive , labor , labour , push , tug strive and make an effort to reach a goal flounder behave awkwardly; have difficulties be at pains , take pains try very hard to do something buck to strive with determination go for broke risk everything in one big effort luck it , luck through act by relying on one's luck adventure , hazard , jeopardize , stake , venture put at risk bell the cat take a risk; perform a daring act type of: act , move perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
• noun a tentative attempt see more see less type of: attempt , effort , endeavor , endeavour , try earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
• verb put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to synonyms: examine , prove , test , try , try out see more see less types: control , verify check or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard float circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with field-test test something under the conditions under which it will actually be used type of: evaluate , judge , pass judgment form a critical opinion of

Vocabulary lists containing essay

Before you can answer a question on the PARCC English Language Arts/Literacy section, you first need to know what the question is asking. Learn this list of 45 words that we extracted from a PARCC practice test's directions, question stems, and answer options.

A thorough survey of various textbooks, assignments, content area standards, and examinations yields the following list of words compiled by Jim Burke . You cannot expect to succeed on assignments if you do not understand the directions.

To improve your fluency in English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR), learn this academic vocabulary list that includes words selected from the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) state standards.

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Merriam-Webster dictionary

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• Internet Archive - Webster's Dictionary of English Usage (1989)
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Merriam-Webster dictionary , any of various lexicographic works published by the G. & C. Merriam Co.—renamed Merriam-Webster, Incorporated , in 1982—which is located in Springfield , Massachusetts , and which since 1964 has been a subsidiary of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc . Among the dictionaries are Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language (1961), which contains more than 476,000 entries and provides the most extensive record of American English now available, and the 11th edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (2003).

(Read H.L. Mencken’s 1926 Britannica essay on American English.)

The G. & C. Merriam Co., founded in 1831, acquired the rights after the death of Noah Webster in 1843 to his An American Dictionary of the English Language . This work had first been published in 1828 and was the first American unabridged dictionary. A second edition had been published in 1840, and subsequent editions were published by the company in 1847 and 1864. The 1890 revision was given the title Webster’s International Dictionary and was followed in 1909 by Webster’s New International Dictionary, Second Edition , and in 1961 by Webster’s Third New International Dictionary .

Merriam-Webster dictionaries began to be published in electronic formats, including CD-ROMs and handheld devices, in the 1980s. In 1996 Merriam-Webster introduced Merriam-Webster OnLine, a Web site offering language-related features, including access to the full text of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Thesaurus . In 2002 Webster’s Third New International Dictionary was made available online at a subscription Web site.

Dictionary Entry References

This page contains reference examples for dictionary entries, including the following:

• Entry in an online dictionary
• Entry in a print dictionary

1. Entry in an online dictionary

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Just-world hypothesis. In APA dictionary of psychology . Retrieved January 18, 2020, from https://dictionary.apa.org/just-world-hypothesis

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Semantics. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary . Retrieved January 4, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semantics

• Parenthetical citations : (American Psychological Association, n.d.; Merriam-Webster, n.d.)
• Narrative citations : American Psychological Association (n.d.) and Merriam-Webster (n.d.)
• Because entries in the APA Dictionary of Psychology and Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary are updated over time and are not archived, include a retrieval date in the reference.
• The author and publisher are the same for the dictionaries in the examples, so the name appears in the author element only to avoid repetition.
• Semantics refers to the “study of meanings” (Merriam-Webster, n.d., Definition 1).

2. Entry in a print dictionary

American Psychological Association. (2015). Mood induction. In APA dictionary of psychology (2nd ed., p. 667).

Merriam-Webster. (2003). Litmus test. In Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (11th ed., p. 727).

• Parenthetical citations : (American Psychological Association, 2015; Merriam-Webster, 2003)
• Narrative citations : American Psychological Association (2015) and Merriam-Webster (2003)
• Provide any edition information about the dictionary in parentheses without italics after the dictionary title.
• Provide the page number for the entry in parentheses after the title of the dictionary. When both an edition and page number are present, place them in the same set of parentheses, separated with a comma.

Dictionary entry references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.3 and the Concise Guide Section 10.3

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How to Cite a Dictionary Meaning in MLA

Last Updated: September 15, 2021 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 81,561 times.

Citing a dictionary definition is a little different than referencing an authored book, but it’s easy to get the hang of. An MLA citation shows the reader exactly where to find the source you accessed, so you’ll need to provide specific information about the entry. Include an in-text citation in parentheses right after the sentence that referenced the term. On your works cited page, list the term, the dictionary's title, its edition, its date of publication, and the page number. For an online dictionary, include the URL and the date you accessed the site.

Making a Parenthetical Citation

• A basic parenthetical citation would be: (“Onomatopoeia”). Instead of placing the period after sentence, add it after the citation, like this: Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates or suggests the sound it describes (“Onomatopoeia”).

• For example, your in-text citation would look like this: (“Turn,” def. V. 2a). Note the “V.” stands for verb; use “Adj.” for adjectives and “N.” for nouns.
• Write the part of speech and definition number as it appears in the dictionary. A dictionary might organize entries with numbers and letters (such as 1a) or with numbers alone (such as 1.2).
• If the word has multiple entries but only a single part of speech, just include the entry number: (“Wonderful,” def. 2).

• An example would be: (“Emoticon,” [Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary]).
• Suppose your paper references the definition of “Emoticon” in both Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary . If your in-text citations were just (“Emoticon”) or (“Emoticon,” N.), the reader wouldn’t know which dictionary you were referencing.

Citing a Print Dictionary

• If you specified the part of speech and definition number, include them in your works cited entry: “Content,” def. N. 1c. [5] X Research source
• Since there’s no known author, use the first letter of the term when you alphabetize your works cited page. For instance, you’d list “Content” after an entry authored by “Butler, J.” and before one authored by “Darwin, C.”

• At this point, your entry would look like this: “Content,” def. N. 1c. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary ,

• Now your entry would read: “Content,” def. N. 1c. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary , 11th ed.,

• Add the date like this: “Content,” def. N. 1c. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary , 11th ed., 2003,

• Your finished entry would read: “Content,” def. N. 1c. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary , 11th ed., 2003, p. 269.
• If your definition happens to appear on 2 pages, write “pp. 269-270.”

Citing an Online Dictionary

• The first part works cited entry for an online dictionary looks the same as a citation for printed source: “Content,” def. N. 1.1. Oxford English Dictionary ,

• Your entry at this point would read: “Content,” def. N. 1.1. Oxford English Dictionary , 2018,

• Add the URL like this: “Content,” def. N. 1.1. Oxford English Dictionary , 2018, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/content.

• Your completed entry would read: “Content,” def. N. 1.1. Oxford English Dictionary , 2018, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/content. Accessed 23 September 2018.

Expert Q&A

• Learn more about MLA style at https://style.mla.org . Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://style.mla.org/term-with-numbered-definitions/
• ↑ https://style.mla.org/distinguishing-dictionary-entries/
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_page_books.html
• ↑ https://style.mla.org/when-citing-a-print-dictionary-in-mla-style-do-i-include-a-page-number/
• ↑ https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/citing-the-dictionary
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_electronic_sources.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html?_ga=2.19623804.558179429.1522454400-1709346682.1522454400

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Is there a standard dictionary for referencing English words?

I am working on a paper in which we need to reference the meaning of english words as foundation for the analysis in the paper (we are categorizing situations using these words, and there is no method of categorizing these items, so no precedent).

Before internet, using the encyclopedia Britannica or merriam-webster dictionary was easy for referencing the book itself. These days, words and meanings change and are sometimes updated. Even more, looking online for a dictionary for finding a word returns many results.

When searching for oxford dictionary there are three results http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ http://www.oed.com/ http://oaadonline.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/

Merriam webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/

Cambridge: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

The online dictionary: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

And of course wikipedia usually has some definition.

For example, if we categorize something as 'multi-' , In this dictionary: http://oaadonline.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/multi multi is "More than one". However, in this http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multi , multi is "More than two". That is a huge difference in terminology.

Is there an academic standard for the age of online dictionaries? Have words just begun to mean different things and its futile to use dictionaries in this way?

• publications

• 10 The OED is unquestionably the "gold standard" in English-language dictionaries. Everything else pretty much pales in comparison. –  aeismail Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 5:17
• 3 Words have ALWAYS had somewhat fuzzy meanings. Local usage, jargon usage, usage change over time, and so on. I would assume that anything called a "learner's dictionary" is likely to be oversimplified, but beyond that I think you're going to simply have to accept that this is a fuzzy-logic problem. Natural language analysis is an EXTREMELY hard problem; it's a minor miracle that supercomputer systems such as IBM's Watson are finally making some progress in that area. –  keshlam Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 5:21
• 1 If anything, the availability of on-line dictionaries has simply made apparent the fact that there never was such a thing as an "objective" or "true" dictionary definition. Choose a dictionary of high repute -- the OED seems like a good choice, but you could have factors which nudge you in a different direction, or force you to use more than one -- and stick to it. –  tripleee Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 7:18
• I edited your question because what is true from one language might not be for another one. For instance, there is an official French institution in charge of defining the language, with an online dictionary . I don't believe there is anything similar for the English language. –  user102 Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 8:01
• @CharlesMorisset: There most definitely isn't. –  aeismail Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 15:41

2 Answers 2

www.oed.com is the online version of the full, official Oxford English Dictionary. Requires a subscription (institutional or personal) to access. This is the site you should use whenever possible.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com is an ad-supported version with some features cut. Avoid if you have subscription access to the full site (as any university should).

http://oaadonline.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/ is, clearly, for learners of the English language. Use it as a guide for learning, sure - but not as a guide for writing papers.

The OED is the English dictionary to use. Other dictionaries are probably fine in all but the weirdest corner cases, but it helps to have some standardization.

Your journal probably specifies its own preferences in this regard. Every publisher's "guide for authors" that I have seen tells you to defer to the OED. Sometimes you'll see specific instructions to use either British or American spellings, and you may specifically be told how to spell words that don't have a British or American "standard" spelling, such as parametrize .

• But when the topic of research is word meanings, simply going by the OED alone may be inadequate. –  tripleee Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 8:09

onelook.com is a nice resource; it links to several online dictionaries from one convenient place. (Although it does not link to the OED, and I agree that the OED is both authoritative and reputable – more on that in a bit.)

Still, words often have fuzzy meanings, and it's often good to cite a couple of reputable sources when establishing definitions.

Your multi- example is a good one. When you find dictionaries have conflicting meanings of a word, it might be best to provide multiple definitions, and then declare which meaning you intend to use throughout your paper or thesis.

Collins has an interesting listing for multi- , in that it lists both of the meanings you allude to:

multi- 1 many or much ⇒ multiflorous , multimillion 2 more than one ⇒ multiparous , multistorey

It's also important to know what kind of dictionary you are citing, and what that dictionary's goal is. For example, some dictionaries list what they deem as primary meanings first, while others order a word's definitions based on how the word evolved. Others, like Cambridge Dictionary Online , are designed to be a learner's dictionary; CDO's definitions are relatively basic, and geared more toward those who are learning English as a second language. Some online dictionaries are wikis, like Wiktionary , which might be good for finding the most up-to-date slang usages, but are probably not the best sources to cite in scholarly works.

The goal of the OED is a comprehensive, exhaustive list of usages, starting from the very early usages, and going to more contemporary. For example, looking up multi- in the OED yields 10 results; one of them begins with:

Forming parasynthetic adjectives, with the sense ‘more than one, several, many’. From the adjectives are formed adverbs (e.g. multiserially ) and nouns (e.g. multicellularity ). Some formations of this kind acquire a noun sense, as multicore , multiengine .

It then goes on to list dozens of examples, many of them rare or obsolete, along with references that stretch back as far as the 1700s, such as:

multinodal adj. having many nodes. 1839 J. Lindley Introd. Bot. (ed. 3) i. ii. 160 The multinodal cyme offers no fixed rule in the spirals of its nodes . 1902 Biometrika 1 264 These maxima must arise from the mortality curve itself being multinodal . 1979 Cell & Tissue Res. 199 225 Probit frequency analysis, a graphic method for determining whether a population is normally distributed, skewed, or multinodal . multinodate adj. rare = multinodal adj. 1840 B. H. Smart Walker's Crit. Pronouncing Dict., Multinodate, or Multinodous, many-knotted . 1979 Proc. Linn. Soc. New S. Wales 102 194 Most often, on multinodate axes and particularly in large inflorescences, reduction in degree of branching does not occur alone . multinodous adj. [ < classical Latin multinōdus ( < multi- multi- comb. form + nōdus knot: see node n.) + -ous suffix] Obs. rare—0 = multinodal adj. 1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II., Multinodous, full of Knots . 1840 B. H. Smart Walker's Crit. Pronouncing Dict., Multinodate, or Multinodous, many-knotted . multinodular adj. Med. characterized by or composed of a number of nodules. 1900 W. A. N. Dorland Illustr. Med. Dict. 399/2 Multinodular, composed of many nodules . 1924 F. de Quervain Goitre 33 The fourth type is represented by the multinodular goitre with large nodules .

In other words, it's one thing to say that the OED is the "best" dictionary to use, but it may be overkill in some instances.

I'm active in some of the SE's English forums; I've found Macmillan and Collins to be reputable, and I would trust them for scholarly work. Miriam-Webster is often regarded as reputable, too, but I tend to avoid their online edition, owing to the number of ads they splash on a screen (my computer often starts running slower as soon as I go to one of their pages).

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Definition of assay

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

intransitive verb

Definition of assay  (Entry 2 of 2)

Did you know?

Usage experts warn against confusing the verbs assay and essay . Some confusion shouldn’t be surprising; not only do the two somewhat uncommon words look and sound alike, they also come from the same root, the Middle French word essai , meaning "test" or "effort." ( Essai , in turn, comes from the Late Latin word exagium , meaning "act of weighing.") At one time, the two terms were synonyms, sharing the meaning "try" or "attempt," but they are now typically differentiated, with essay meaning "to try or attempt" (as in "a comedic actor essaying her first dramatic role") and assay meaning "to test or evaluate" (as in "blood assayed to detect the presence of the antibody"). Of course, essay is more common as a noun referring to a short analytic or personal literary composition, but that’s another essay .

• deconstruct
• anatomizing
• deconstruction

Examples of assay in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French assai, essai — more at essay entry 1

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing assay

• enzyme - linked immunosorbent assay

Articles Related to assay

To 'Essay' or 'Assay'?

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Dictionary Entries Near assay

assault weapon

Cite this Entry

“Assay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assay. Accessed 21 Jul. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on assay

Nglish: Translation of assay for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of assay for Arabic Speakers

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