Tests or analyses to determine the composition, quality, or characteristics of a substance, especially metals or chemicals.
From Old French assai, from Latin exagium meaning 'a weighing.' Originally referred to testing the purity of precious metals by weighing, then expanded to any analytical testing.
Medieval assayers literally risked their lives testing gold and silver purity because kings would execute them for inaccurate results, leading to the development of incredibly precise chemical techniques that laid the foundation for modern analytical chemistry.
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