B. Jonson.
Say
(Say), v. t. To try; to assay. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Say
(Say), n. [OE. saie, F. saie, fr. L. saga, equiv. to sagum, sagus, a coarse woolen mantle; cf. Gr.
sa`gos. See Sagum.]
1. A kind of silk or satin. [Obs.]
Thou say, thou serge, nay, thou buckram lord!
Shak. 2. A delicate kind of serge, or woolen cloth. [Obs.]
His garment neither was of silk nor say.
Spenser. Say
(Say), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Said contracted from sayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Saying.] [OE. seggen,
seyen, siggen, sayen, sayn, AS. secgan; akin to OS. seggian, D. zeggen, LG. seggen, OHG. sagen,
G. sagen, Icel. segja, Sw. säga, Dan. sige, Lith. sakyti; cf. OL. insece tell, relate, Gr. 'e`nnepe
'e`spete. Cf. Saga, Saw a saying.]
1. To utter or express in words; to tell; to speak; to declare; as, he said many wise things.
Arise, and say how thou camest here.
Shak. 2. To repeat; to rehearse; to recite; to pronounce; as, to say a lesson.
Of my instruction hast thou nothing bated
In what thou hadst to say?
Shak.
After which shall be said or sung the following hymn.
Bk. of Com. Prayer. 3. To announce as a decision or opinion; to state positively; to assert; hence, to form an opinion upon; to
be sure about; to be determined in mind as to.
But what it is, hard is to say.
Milton. 4. To mention or suggest as an estimate, hypothesis, or approximation; hence, to suppose; — in the
imperative, followed sometimes by the subjunctive; as, he had, say fifty thousand dollars; the fox had run,
say ten miles.
Say, for nonpayment that the debt should double,
Is twenty hundred kisses such a trouble?
Shak.
