Essayed [verb]

Lily Pendleton was known to have once essayed an erotic novel, and had read a few chapters to some of her closer friends.

Every time the Confederates essayed to charge they were met with such a storm of shot and shell that they went reeling back.

The bishop emitted lamentable cries and essayed to resist the men who were dragging him into the donjon.

She essayed to sew, and stitched up a seam wrong side out, and ran the point of the needle under her finger nail.

The rock here being of various degrees of density, the waters had essayed a thousand channels.

Then he essayed to call the right hand into play, but appeared to find a difficulty in doing so.

The greatest of these is "The Second Mrs. Tanqueray," interpreted for us by the greatest actress who ever essayed the part.

His wife had naturally a strident one, but she essayed to follow him in the matter of voice, as in all other things.

Ruminating thus, he essayed another door, which admitted him to a bedroom, where lay another harmonious slumberer.

If they essayed an entrance into the charmed circle, they failed.