assay

[ verb a-sey; noun 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

/ ăs′ā,ə-sā′ /

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.

Derived Forms

• asˈsayable, adjective
• asˈsayer, noun

Other Words From

• as·saya·ble adjective
• as·sayer noun
• unas·sayed adjective
• unas·saying 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

It’s an intelligent, compelling narrative assaying the influences of toxic masculinity, gun culture and rural resentment, and the empowerment of sheriffs who declare themselves the ultimate arbiters of what is legal in their jurisdictions.

From Los Angeles Times

To address this, Geschwind used advances in single-cell assays, a technique that makes it possible to extract and identify the genetic information in the nuclei of individual cells.

From Science Daily

And they used a common free-radical-scavenging assay to measure and compare the antioxidant activity of the bioactive compounds in the juice and wines.

From Science Daily

As health officials turn increasingly toward wastewater testing as a means of tracking the spread of H5N1 bird flu among U.S. dairy herds, some researchers are raising questions about the effectiveness of the sewage assays.

From Los Angeles Times

Remarkably, both MV and MI outperformed menthol in the anti-inflammatory assay.

From Science Daily