different between attempt vs essay

English

Etymology

Late 14th century, as Middle English attempten, from Old French atempter, from Latin attempt? (“I try, solicit”), from ad (“to”) + temptare, more correctly tentare (“to try”); see tempt.The noun is from the 1530s, the sense "an assault on somebody's life, assassination attempt" (French attentat) is from 1580.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??t?mpt/
• Rhymes: -?mpt

Verb

attempt (third-person singular simple present attempts, present participle attempting, simple past and past participle attempted)

1. To try.

   I attempted to sing, but my throat was too hoarse.

   to attempt an escape from prison

   • 1842, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Village Blacksmith

     Something attempted, something done, / Has earned a night's repose.
2. (obsolete) To try to move, by entreaty, by afflictions, or by temptations; to tempt.
   • c. 1604, William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

     Yet since I see you fearful, that neither my coat, integrity, nor persuasion can with ease attempt you, I will go further than I meant, to pluck all fears out of you.
3. (archaic) To try to win, subdue, or overcome.

   one who attempts the virtue of a woman
4. (archaic) To attack; to make an effort or attack upon; to try to take by force.

   to attempt the enemy's camp

   • 1830, John Motley, The Rise of the Dutch Republic

     without attempting his adversary's life

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Synonyms

• take a stab at, take a run at

Translations

Noun

attempt (plural attempts)

1. The action of trying at something. [1530]

   We made an attempt to cross the stream, but didn't manage.

   This poem is much better than the feeble attempt of mine.

   It was worth the attempt.

   No matter how many failed attempts we made, we maintained a positive attitude and tried again and again until we succeeded.
2. An assault or attack, especially an assassination attempt. [1580]
   • 1584 No man can charge us of any attempt against the realm. (Allen's Defence Of English Catholics, cited after Edinburgh review 1883, p. 378)

Usage notes

• Adjectives often applied to "attempt": first, failed, desperate, last, half-hearted, unsuccessful, serious, successful, feeble, new, honest, vain, sincere, ambitious, earnest, clumsy, direct, hard, brilliant, official, useless, clever, sophisticated, amateurish.

Synonyms

• effort
• try

Translations

Further reading

• attempt in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• attempt in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• attempt at OneLook Dictionary Search

English

Etymology 1

Since late 16th century, borrowed from Middle French essay, essai (“essay”), meaning coined by Montaigne in the same time, from the same words in earlier meanings 'experiment; assay; attempt', from Old French essay, essai, assay, assai, from Latin exagium (“weight; weighing, testing on the balance”), from exigere + -ium.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /???se?/
• Rhymes: -?se?

Noun

essay (plural essays)

1. (authorship) A written composition of moderate length, exploring a particular issue or subject.
2. (obsolete) A test, experiment; an assay.
3. (now rare) An attempt.
   • 1988, James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, Oxford 2003, p. 455:

     This was Lee's first essay in the kind of offensive-defensive strategy that was to become his hallmark.

4. (philately, finance) A proposed design for a postage stamp or a banknote.

Derived terms

• photo essay

Related terms

• assay
• essayist
• essayistic

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle French essayer, essaier, from Old French essaiier, essayer, essaier, assaiier, assayer, assaier, from essay, essai, assay, assai (“attempt; assay; experiment”) as above.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /??se?/, /???se?/

Verb

essay (third-person singular simple present essays, present participle essaying, simple past and past participle essayed)

1. (dated, transitive) To try.
2. (intransitive) To move forth, as into battle.

Translations

Anagrams

• Sayes, Seays, Sesay, eyass

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English essay (“essay”), from Middle French essai (“essay; attempt, assay”), from Old French essai, from Latin exagium (whence the neuter gender).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??se?/, /??.se?/
• Hyphenation: es?say
• Rhymes: -e?

Noun

essay n (plural essays, diminutive essaytje n)

1. essay

Hypernyms

• betoog

Derived terms

• essayist

Descendants

• ? Indonesian: esai

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from English essay, from Middle French essai.

Noun

essay n (definite singular essayet, indefinite plural essay or essayer, definite plural essaya or essayene)

1. an essay, a written composition of moderate length exploring a particular subject

Derived terms

• essaysamling

References

• “essay” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from English essay, from Middle French essai.

Noun

essay n (definite singular essayet, indefinite plural essay, definite plural essaya)

1. an essay, a written composition of moderate length exploring a particular subject

Derived terms

• essaysamling

References

• “essay” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.