essay
‘test, attempt, literary composition’
Lexical development traced from the Tamil root:
F. essai ‘trial, attempt, essay’ < La.Lat. exagium ‘a weighing, a weight’ < Lat. exigere ‘drive out; require, exact; examine, try, test’ < ex ‘out’ + agere ‘to set in motion, drive’ < ay < ag- < Tamil ukai