From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Assay \As*say"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Assayed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Assaying}.] [OF. asaier, essaier, F. essayer, fr. essai. See {Assay}, noun, {Essay}, v.]
1. To try; to attempt; to apply. [Obs. or Archaic]
To-night let us assay our plot. --Shak.
Soft words to his fierce passion she assayed. --Milton.
When the heart is ill assayed. --Spenser.
3. To try tasting, as food or drink. [Obs.]
4. To subject, as an ore, alloy, or other metallic compound, to chemical or metallurgical examination, in order to determine the amount of a particular metal contained in it, or to ascertain its composition.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Assaying \As*say"ing\, noun The act or process of testing, esp. of analyzing or examining metals and ores, to determine the proportion of pure metal.
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