Where does “assay” come from?
Assay comes from Middle English assay, from Anglo-Norman assaier, from Late Latin exagium, from Latin exigo meaning to weigh or test, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- meaning to drive or move.
assay (English): Trial, attempt; Examination and determination;...
Definitions
- Trial, attempt; Examination and determination;...
Ancestry of “assay”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | assay | Examining; investigation, looking into, research;... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | assaier | Alternative form of essaier |
| 3 | Old French | essai | trial |
| 4 | Late Latin | exagium | weight; weighing, testing on the balance;... |
| 5 | Latin | exigō | to drive out; expel |
| 6 | Latin | agō | to act, to behave |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | agō | drive; push, impel; do, act |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵeti | to be driving |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |