Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
assay
(noun) a quantitative or qualitative test of a substance (especially an ore or a drug) to determine its components; frequently used to test for the presence or concentration of infectious agents or antibodies etc.
assay
(noun) an appraisal of the state of affairs; “they made an assay of the contents”; “a check on its dependability under stress”
assay
(noun) a written report of the results of an analysis of the composition of some substance
assay
(noun) a substance that is undergoing an analysis of its components
assay
(verb) analyze (chemical substances)
try, seek, attempt, essay, assay
(verb) make an effort or attempt; “He tried to shake off his fears”; “The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps”; “The police attempted to stop the thief”; “He sought to improve himself”; “She always seeks to do good in the world”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
assay (plural assays)
Trial, attempt.
Examination and determination; test.
The qualitative or quantitative chemical analysis of something.
Trial by danger or by affliction; adventure; risk; hardship; state of being tried.
Tested purity or value.
The act or process of ascertaining the proportion of a particular metal in an ore or alloy; especially, the determination of the proportion of gold or silver in bullion or coin.
The alloy or metal to be assayed.
assay (third-person singular simple present assays, present participle assaying, simple past and past participle assayed)
(transitive) To attempt (something). [from 14th c.]
(archaic, intransitive) To try, attempt (to do something). [14th-19th c.]
(transitive) To analyze or estimate the composition or value of (a metal, ore etc.). [from 15th c.]
(obsolete, transitive) To test the abilities of (someone) in combat; to fight. [15th-17th c.]
To affect.
To try tasting, as food or drink.
• Asays, Yassa
Source: Wiktionary
As*say", n. Etym: [OF. asai, essai, trial, F. essa. See Essay, n.]
1. Trial; attempt; essay. [Obs.] Chaucer. I am withal persuaded that it may prove much more easy in the assay than it now seems at distance. Milton.
2. Examination and determination; test; as, an assay of bread or wine. [Obs.] This can not be, by no assay of reason. Shak.
3. Trial by danger or by affliction; adventure; risk; hardship; state of being tried. [Obs.] Through many hard assays which did betide. Spenser.
4. Tested purity or value. [Obs.] With gold and pearl of rich assay. Spenser.
5. (Metallurgy)
Definition: The act or process of ascertaining the proportion of a particular metal in an ore or alloy; especially, the determination of the proportion of gold or silver in bullion or coin.
6. The alloy or metal to be assayed. Ure. Assay and essay are radically the same word; but modern usage has appropriated assay chiefly to experiments in metallurgy, and essay to intellectual and bodily efforts. See Essay.]
Note: Assay is used adjectively or as the first part of a compound; as, assay balance, assay furnace. Assay master, an officer who assays or tests gold or silver coin or bullion.
– Assay ton, a weight of 29.1662/3 grams.
As*say", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Assaying.] Etym: [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.
As*say", v. i.
Definition: To attempt, try, or endeavor. [Archaic. In this sense essay is now commonly used.] She thrice assayed to speak. Dryden.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
18 June 2025
(noun) large South American evergreen tree trifoliate leaves and drupes with nutlike seeds used as food and a source of cooking oil
Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.