the.com/assay
Chemistry's lie detector: it doesn't ask what's there, it proves it.
means To test a substance (especially a metal or ore) to determine what it contains and how much — turning suspicion into proof.
from From Old French 'assai/essai' meaning a trial or test, which comes from Late Latin 'exagium,' a weighing — rooted in the verb 'exigere,' to weigh out or examine closely. It shares a root with 'essay,' which originally meant an attempt or trial run — the two words are siblings, one that went into the lab (assay, testing metal's purity) and one that went into the library (essay, testing an idea on paper).
- gold standard
- literal origin — assayers tested gold's purity for coinage
- vs analysis
- analysis asks what is in it; assay asks how much
- biotech workhorse
- ELISA assays detect antibodies down to picogram levels
- etymology twist
- shares root with essay — both mean to try