different between undertaking vs essay

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??nd?(?)?te?k??/

Noun

undertaking (plural undertakings)

1. The business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals
2. A promise or pledge; a guarantee
3. That which is undertaken; any business, work, or project which a person engages in, or attempts to perform; an enterprise
4. The act of one who undertakes (in either sense)

   Antonym: overtaking (transport)

Translations

Verb

undertaking

1. present participle of undertake

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.