Envisage vs Envision.

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

I cannot work out how different in meaning is envisage andenvision like the following archetypes:

  1. The man failed to envisage/envision the possibility of him winning the race.

  2. He hasn’t had such an ordeal before thus cannot envision/envisage it could be possible.

  3. He hadn’t envisaged/envisioned that.
    How also different is consentfromassent

Besides, a learned book gave attemptas a synonym toassay is that possible?

Please assist.

2

‘Envision’ is not usually used in the UK. Perhaps the Usage note at the bottom of this page can help you:
oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries … y/envision

3

Hi, Beees.

A book I read made ıt clear to me that one can substitute ‘an assay’ as a synonym for ‘an attempt’ in any context all.
Like the following:

  • Please don’t make an attempt/an assay to double-cross me.
  • He made an assay/an attempt to cross-question me, but I didn’t utter a word.

So what do you make of this?

4

I think the book made it clear enough.

5

As far as I can tell from Ebenezer’s question, the book is saying that “assay” can be used in those sentences (which I would disagree with, at least in modern English). Is that how you understod it?

6

Dozy,
Does ‘double-cross’ mean ‘cross-question’?

7

Hi, Dozy

Your mentioning of “at least in modern English” shows that in one way or another it could be used as a substitution for ‘an attempt’.
But could it be used, is it correct at all in English? If not in modern English.

Alifathima:
double-cross: deceive, cheat.
cross-question: to question someone again.

8

Hmmm. if that’s the case, I seem to have misunderstood Ebenezer. Thanks.

9

No. Have you tried a dictionary?

10

Hi Ebenezer,

The use of ‘assay’ is very restricted as it has a specific meaning - an investigation into the composition of a metal to find out its quality. In no sense therefore could you use it as a synonym for ‘attempt’, especially in the sentences you have quoted.

Alan

11

I believe “assay” originally had a more general meaning of “try, attempt”. It’s interesting that M-W lists this as the first definition, with no qualifications: merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assay (the noun is marked “archaic” in that sense but not the verb).

As far as I know, this general meaning is obsolete (or very unusual). As Alan says, nowadays the word normally used in reference to tests of composition of substances.