Meaning

noun an analytic or interpretive literary composition

noun a tentative attempt

verb make an effort or attempt

originSince late 16th century, borrowed from Middle French essay, essai (“essay”), meaning coined by Montaigne at the same time, from the same words with the earlier meanings 'experiment; assay; attempt', from Old French essay, essai, assay, assai, from Latin exagium (“weight; weighing, testing on the balance”), from exigere + -ium.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0