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assay (verb, noun):

verb
1a: to analyze (something, such as an ore) for one or more specific components
b: to judge the worth of : estimate
2: try, attempt

noun
1: examination and determination as to characteristics (such as weight, measure, or quality)
2: analysis (as of an ore or drug) to determine the presence, absence, or quantity of one or more components
also : a test used in this analysis
3: a substance to be assayed
also : the tabulated result of assaying
4 archaic : trial, attempt

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : 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.

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