Where does “essay” come from?
Essay comes from Middle French essai, from Old French assaier meaning to try or attempt, derived from the Latin verb agere meaning to do or drive, through the Latin suffix -arius and infinitive marker -are.
essay (English): A written composition of moderate length,...
Definitions
- A written composition of moderate length,...
Ancestry of “essay”, step by step
essay traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle French essai
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | essai | essay; attempt, assay; essay |
| 2 | Old French | essai | trial |
| 3 | Late Latin | exagium | weight; weighing, testing on the balance;... |
| 4 | Latin | exigō | to drive out; expel |
| 5 | Latin | agō | to act, to behave |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | agō | drive; push, impel; do, act |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵeti | to be driving |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |
via French essai
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | essai | try, trial; assay; try |