Hypertext Webster Gateway: "assaying"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Assay \As*say"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Assayed}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Assaying}.] [OF. asaier, essaier, F. essayer, fr. essai. See
{Assay}, n., {Essay}, v.]
1. To try; to attempt; to apply. [Obs. or Archaic]
To-night let us assay our plot. --Shak.
Soft words to his fierce passion she assayed.
--Milton.
2. To affect. [Obs.]
When the heart is ill assayed. --Spenser.
3. To try tasting, as food or drink. [Obs.]
4. To subject, as an ore, alloy, or other metallic compound,
to chemical or metallurgical examination, in order to
determine the amount of a particular metal contained in
it, or to ascertain its composition.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Assaying \As*say"ing\, n.
The act or process of testing, esp. of analyzing or examining
metals and ores, to determine the proportion of pure metal.
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