"assay" in the noun sense
1. assay, check
an appraisal of the state of affairs
"they made an assay of the contents"
"a check on its dependability under stress"
2. assay
a substance that is undergoing an analysis of its components
3. assay
a written report of the results of an analysis of the composition of some substance
4. assay
a quantitative or qualitative test of a substance (especially an ore or a drug) to determine its components frequently used to test for the presence or concentration of infectious agents or antibodies etc.
"assay" in the verb sense
1. assay
analyze (chemical substances)
2. try, seek, attempt, essay, assay
make an effort or attempt
"He tried to shake off his fears"
"The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"
"The police attempted to stop the thief"
"He sought to improve himself"
"She always seeks to do good in the world"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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