Etymologically
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essayer

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /e.sɛ.je/[1]
  • IPA: /e.se.je/[1]

Forms

essayer[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French essai + -er, Old French essai “trial, attempt”.[2][3][4][1] The Grand Robert also allows a Vulgar Latin “*exagiāre” “to weigh”.[5][6] The noun “essai” continues Late Latin exagium (“weighing”), recorded from the 4th century in the sense “trial”, from exigō (“to weigh, examine”), itself from ex- and agō (“to drive”).[3][1]

Related Romance verbs are Italian assaggiare, Spanish ensayar, Portuguese ensaiar and Old Occitan essaiar, with other prefixes.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The past participle essaiet “tried, proven, experienced” is found in the Chanson de Roland about 1100, of the archbishop Turpin: prudom et essaiet.[2][7]

Semantic evolution

About 1120 the infinitive essaier meant “to test”, and in 1155 Wace has asaiier a with an infinitive, “to try to do something”.[4][2] The reflexive s'essayer, “to try out one's strength”, appears about 1135.[2][5] In the 14th century it was used of testing workmen and of assaying metals.[4][7]

Trying on clothes and shoes is recorded by Furetière in 1690.[2][4] In classical French essayer could also mean “to put (someone) to the test”, as in Corneille.[4] The construction essayer de with an infinitive is now the usual one.[1][6]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Essaiet “proven” in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • c. 1120 – Essaier in the Oxford Psalter.[4]
  • c. 1135 – S'essayer in the Couronnement de Louis.[2]
  • 1155 – Asaiier a “to try to” in Wace's Brut.[2]
  • c. 1360 – The spelling essayer in Froissart.[4]
  • 1690 – Essayer des souliers in Furetière.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To test, try out: essayer un moteur; to assay a metal.[6][9]
  2. To try on a garment: essayer une robe.[6][1]
  3. To try for the first time, sample: essayer un vin.[6]
  4. Essayer de: to try, attempt to: essayer de dormir.[1][10]
  5. S'essayer à: to try one's hand at.[1]
  • essai
  • essayage
  • essayeur
  • essayiste

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)