essay

nouns

an analytic or interpretive literary composition
essay
is derived from
essayist
is a type of (narrower)
the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect)
"the writing in her novels is excellent"; "that editorial was a fine piece of writing"
piece of writing, writing, written material
a tentative attempt
essay
is a type of (narrower)
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
"made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"
attempt, effort, endeavor, endeavour, try

verbs

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"
assay, attempt, essay, seek, try
is derived from
essayer
put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to
"This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe"
essay, examine, prove, test, try, try out