Other forms: essays
An essay is a short piece of writing that presents your thoughts on one topic. Write an essay, an essay question, a personal essay.
Montaigne invented the form and named it: the French essai means an attempt, and his point was that an essay tries out an idea rather than proving one. School essays have drifted a long way from that. As a verb, to essay something is to attempt it. Note assay, which is the same word.
1nounessayA short piece of writing presenting thoughts on one topic.
“For homework, write an essay on the causes of the First World War.”
essay is a piece of writing.
Middle French essai means an attempt or trial. Montaigne applied it to his writings in 1580, and assay is the same word.
Proto-Indo-European
*h₂eǵ-
Latin
exagium — weight; weighing, testing on the balance
Old French
essay
Middle French
essay
English, today
essay
Built from
Since late 16th century, borrowed from Middle French essay, essai (“essay”), meaning coined by Montaigne at the same time, from the same words with the earlier meanings 'experiment; assay; attempt', from Old French essay, essai, assay, assai, from Latin exagium (“weight; weighing, testing on the balance”), from exigo + -ium.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA