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To assay a substance is to test it, especially a metal, to see how pure it is or what it is made of. For a very long time people have assayed gold and silver: a small piece is tested so a buyer knows it is not fake, and how much real metal is there. In a lab, scientists also assay blood, water, or medicine — they measure what sits in the sample.
To assay a substance is to test itassay 一種物質，就是去測試它, especially a metal尤其是金屬, to see how pure it is or what it is made of看看它有多純，或是由什麼組成的。For a very long time people have assayed gold and silver很久以來人們都會 assay 金和銀: a small piece is tested取一小塊來測試 so a buyer knows it is not fake讓買家知道不是假的, and how much real metal is there以及裡面有多少純金屬。In a lab, scientists also assay blood, water, or medicine在實驗室裡，科學家也會 assay 血液、水或藥物 — they measure what sits in the sample他們是在測量樣本裡含有什麼。
The word sounds old and technical. At home you would just say test. As a noun, an assay is the test itself, or the result.
The word sounds old and technical這個字聽起來又老又專業。At home you would just say test平常在家你就只會說 test（測試）。As a noun, an assay is the test itself, or the result當名詞用時，assay 是指這個測試本身，或是測試的結果。
Though actually, assay and essay began as the same French word for a “try.” Today an essay is a piece of writing, and an assay is this kind of test. Easy to mix up on the page; they do not do the same job any more.
Though actually, assay and essay began as the same French word for a “try.”不過其實，assay 和 essay 原本是同一個法文字，意思是「嘗試」。Today an essay is a piece of writing今天 essay 是指一篇文章, and an assay is this kind of test而 assay 是指這種測試。Easy to mix up on the page寫在紙上很容易搞混; they do not do the same job any more但它們現在已經不是同一件事了。
組成From Middle English assay (noun) and assayen (verb), from Anglo-Norman assai / assaier, from Old French essai. Doublet of essay.
同家族的字
- essaysame Old French essai, a try; assay kept the testing sense, essay became a piece of writing
原始詞典資料13 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
assaynoun/ˈæseɪ/
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Trial, attempt.
- I am withal persuaded that it may prove much more easy in the assay than it now seems at distance.
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Examination and determination; test.
- This cannot be, by no assay of reason.
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The qualitative or quantitative chemical analysis of something.
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Trial by danger or by affliction; adventure; risk; hardship; state of being tried.
- Through many hard assayes which did betide.
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Tested purity or value.
- Purfled with gold and pearl of rich assay.
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The act or process of ascertaining the proportion of a particular metal in an ore or alloy; especially, the determination of the proportion of gold or silver in bullion or coin.
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The alloy or metal to be assayed.
assayverb/ˈæseɪ/
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To attempt (something).
- To-night let us assay our plot.
- Soft words to his fierce passion she assayed.
- 2
archaicTo try, attempt (to do something).
- When Saul cam to Jerusalem he assayde to cople hymsilfe with the apostles, and they wer all afrayde of hym and beleved not that he was a disciple.
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To analyze or estimate the composition or value of (a metal, ore etc.).
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obsoleteTo test the abilities of (someone) in combat; to fight.
- I wold not by my wille that ony of vs were matched with hym Nay said sir Gawayne not so it were shame to vs were he not assayed were he neuer soo good a knyghte
- The marquis, in obsession for his wife, Longed to expose her constancy to test. He could not throw the thought away or rest, Having a marvellous passion to assay her; Needless, God knows, to frighten and dismay her, He had assayed her faith enough before And ever found her good; what was the need Of heaping trial on her, more and more?
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To affect.
- when the heart is ill assay'd
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To try tasting, as food or drink.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。