essai

French

Inherited from Middle French, from Old French essai, from Late Latin exagium (“weighing”), hence English assay (compare also Spanish ensayo), from Latin exigō; the original sense of "trial" (if the gold is good) drifted towards a general meaning of "attempt". The literary meaning is given by Michel de Montaigne's masterpiece.

essai m (plural essais)

try, trial
Il a gagné après plusieurs essais. ― He won after numerous tries.

Synonym: tentative
assay
(rugby) try
Elle a marqué son deuxième essai du match. ― She's scored her second try of the match.
essay, composition of moderate length exploring a particular issue or subject
Un essai est un livre pour faire des livres; il ne peut passer pour bon qu'en raison du nombre de fétus d'ouvrages qu'il renferme. (Chateaubr., Essai Révol., t. 2, 1797)

essai oblique singular, m (oblique plural essais, nominative singular essais, nominative plural essai)