21 July 2014
assay
[v. a-sey; n. as-ey, a-sey]
verb (used with object)
1. to examine or analyze: to assay a situation; to assay an event.
2. Metallurgy . to analyze (an ore, alloy, etc.) in order to determine the quantity of gold, silver, or other metal in it.
3. Pharmacology . to subject (a drug) to an analysis for the determination of its potency or composition.
4. to judge the quality of; assess; evaluate: to assay someone’s efforts.
5. to try or test; put to trial: to assay one’s strength; to assay one’s debating abilities.
verb (used without object)
7. to contain, as shown by analysis, a certain proportion of usually precious metal.
noun
8. Metallurgy . determination of the amount of metal, especially gold or silver, in an ore, alloy, etc.
9. a substance undergoing analysis or trial.
10. a detailed report of the findings in assaying a substance.
11. Archaic. examination; trial; attempt; essay.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French; variant of essay
Related forms
as·say·a·ble, adjective
as·say·er, noun
un·as·sayed, adjective
un·as·say·ing, adjective
Can be confused: assay, essay
Today’s aphorism
The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.
– Ernest Hemingway
On this day
21 July 1542 – Pope Paul III establishes the Inquisition (the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition) to ‘defend the faith’ against reformists, protestants and heretics.
21 July 1899 – birth of Ernest Hemingway, American author. He wrote books including ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls‘ and ‘Old Man and the Sea‘. Died 2 July 1961.
21 July 1970 – Aswan Dam opens in Egypt.
21 July 1973 – USSR launches Mars-4 space probe to photograph Mars.
21 July 1990 – Roger Waters performs a charity concert of the Pink Floyd concept album, ‘The Wall’, on the site where part of the Berlin Wall had stood. Approximately, 450,000 people attended. The stage was 170m long and 25m high. The concert included special guest performances by a large number of high profile artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Sinead O’Connor, Cyndi Lauper, Joni Mitchell, Bryan Adams and a number of others.