World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English Dictionariesessai
Pronunciation / Transliteration: ɛ.se
"Il a écrit un long essai sur la politique."
Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
A short piece of writing on a particular subject, typically expressing the author's personal opinion or argument.
"She spent the weekend writing a history essay about the Renaissance."
- 1
To attempt or try something; to put to the test.
"He decided to essay a difficult climb up the sheer cliff face."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Derived from the Middle French word 'essai' (trial, attempt), originating from the Late Latin 'exagium' (a weighing). The semantic shift from 'an attempt or trial' to 'a short piece of writing on a particular subject' was popularized by Michel de Montaigne in the 16th century.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Essay"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Essay" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
essai
Transliteration: ɛ.se
"Il a écrit un long essai sur la politique."
Aufsatz
Transliteration: ˈaʊ̯fˌzat͡s
"Der Schüler schrieb einen guten Aufsatz."
saggio
Transliteration: ˈsad.dʒo
"Ho letto un saggio molto interessante."
ensayo
Transliteration: enˈsa.ʝo
"El ensayo debe entregarse el viernes."
ensaio
Transliteration: ẽˈsaj.u
"Ele escreveu um ensaio sobre a economia global."
निबंध
Transliteration: nibandh
"छात्र ने पर्यावरण पर एक निबंध लिखा।"
散文
Transliteration: sǎnwén
"这篇散文写得很优美。"
수필
Transliteration: supil
"나는 오늘 수필 한 편을 읽었다."
小論文
Transliteration: shōronpō
"彼は大学入試のために小論文を書いた。"
Related Vocabulary Words to Explore
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