Essayers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who compose short literary or analytical compositions exploring ideas, opinions, or arguments ; people who experiment or test theories in any field
2. Persons engaged in writing brief, reflective pieces that examine particular topics or themes ; those who attempt or try out new methods or approaches to assess their validity
3. Contributors who produce concise, discursive works aimed at discussing and analyzing subjects ; individuals who undertake trials or preliminary investigations to evaluate concepts or practices

Etymology: "Essayers" is the plural of "essayer," a word formed in English by adding the agent suffix "-er" to "essay." The base word, "essay," came into English in the 16th century from Old French "essai," meaning a trial or attempt, and ultimately from Latin "exagium," a weighing. That sense of testing and weighing is still present in the noun's meaning, which covers people who try out theories in any field, not only writers of short compositions. The suffix "-er" has a long pedigree. It descends from Latin "-arius," which passed through Old French "-ier" and Middle English "-er," and it was already doing this kind of work in Old English "-ere," as in "bakere" for one who bakes. Attaching it to "essay" produced a straightforward agent noun, so "essayer" simply names a person who essays, that is, who tries or attempts something.

Synonyms: writers, authors, composers, essayists