The word essay derives from the French infinitive essayer, "to try" or "to attempt". In English essay first meant "a trial" or "an attempt", and this is still an alternative meaning. The Frenchman Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) was the first author to describe his work as essays; he used the term to characterize these as "attempts" to put his thoughts into writing.
For want of an Apocalypse: Thoughts on the Covid-19 Timewarp
Three months into quarantine, I began to dream of the end of the world.