a quantitative or qualitative test of a substance (especially an ore or a drug) to determine its components; frequently used to test for the presence or concentration of infectious agents or antibodies etc.
an appraisal of the state of affairs; "they made an assay of the contents"; "a check on its dependability under stress"
a written report of the results of an analysis of the composition of some substance
a substance that is undergoing an analysis of its components
(used especially of fur or wool) shaped or finished by cutting or trimming to a uniform length; "a coat of sheared lamb"
having the hair or wool cut or clipped off as if with shears or clippers; "picked up the baby's shorn curls from the floor"; "naked as a sheared sheep"