Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

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.