The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - essay n.

1) article, composition, paper, theme, piece; thesis, dissertation, disquisition, tract: Her essay is on the life cycle of the flea. 2) attempt, effort, try, endeavour, venture; Colloq shot, go: This is his first essay into the financial world. --v. 3) try, attempt, endeavour, strive, make an effort, undertake, venture, tackle, test, go about, Colloq take a crack or whack or stab at, Slang have a go at, give (it or something) a shot, have a go or bash (at) : Let him essay to do better.