What is the definition of essay?

The following are definitions obtained from web pages off the Internet. As you can see there are many different ways to describe the term. At the end of this page, you will find the definition I want you to use.

Essay

The essay is an art form with a long and powerful tradition and recognizable qualities. The most important element of an essay is your thinking. Unless you write honestly, with the conviction that comes when using your own voice, you are not writing an essay. An essay generally addresses one central question and develops a thesis--the answer to the question. Usually you explain or defend your thesis with reasons and evidence gained from your own personal experience; often you are expected to include new thinking gained from your reading or research. Generally, you will need to settle on some organizational strategy, often including an introduction, body, and conclusion.
What is an essay?

The dictionary tells us it's "a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretive."Random House Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd ed. But in centuries past, as the entry from Dr. Johnson's 18th-century dictionary suggests, the term meant something more uncertain and provisional. To write an essay originally meant to explore or try out ideas. This old meaning lingers in the verb to essay (accent on the second syllable), meaning "to try"—and it remains the underlying idea of the essay. A true essay is a try, a journey of discovery for reader and writer

The word "essay" comes from the French essai, a try or attempt. The essay is an attempt to communicate information, opinion, or feeling, and usually it presents an argument about a topic. In the university context, an essay is an exercise that gives the student an opportunity to explore and clarify thoughts about a subject. In the larger world the essay appears in newspapers as opinion articles, editorials, reviews, and the more thorough commentary on news.

If at times the essay form seems a little artificial, or removed from the kinds of writing you expect to produce when you leave university, remember that the skills you learn in thinking, organizing, researching, and writing will be required in almost any career. There will always be expository reports to write and arguments to present.
The word essay means an attempt. Like a single throw in a javelin competition, it should deal with one issue in a unified way. Essays, therefore, focus on their title, rather than discussing everything to do with the subject. Some people say that the unity should come from taking the form of an argument that takes the reader from the title at the beginning to a conclusion at the end.

It is helpful to think of an essay as having four parts:

1) The introduction will explain the academic problem as you see it, and say how you intend to handle it. It tells the reader what to expect, and what to look for.

2) The body or content of the essay will contain the points you want to make, with supporting arguments and evidence. It must show the reader that you know your subject. You do this by explaining the subject to the reader. It should also present the evidence for the essay's argument.

3) The conclusion

4) The bibliography is the list of books and other sources you use for the essay. The bibliography should relate to references in the essay

 
The best essays have a clear line of argument, and they present a thesis. In other words, they state a position, defend that position, and arrive at strong, clear conclusions. They have a well-defined introduction which identifies the central problem or issue and introduces the argument, a body which logically develops the argument point-by-point, and a conclusion which sums up the argument
  1.  
    1. A short literary composition on a single subject, usually presenting the personal view of the author.
    2. Something resembling such a composition: a photojournalistic essay.
  2. A testing or trial of the value or nature of a thing: an essay of the students' capabilities.
  3. An initial attempt or endeavor, especially a tentative attempt.
  4. To make an attempt at; try.
  5. To subject to a test.

Definition on your handouts

The essay is a piece of nonfiction writing that uses five or more paragraphs to develop a single topic. The essay usually includes an introductory paragraph that states the thesis, three or more supporting paragraphs that develop the topic, and a concluding paragraph.

Your teacher's definition

One of the most common written assignments you will be asked to prepare at school is an essay. An academic essay is a document or text written in order to:

§         analyse a topic closely

§         develop a point of view in relation to that topic through research and thought

§         persuade your reader that the point of view you have developed is well supported by the ideas and information you present

Essays have three main parts or stages:

1.       the initial statement of the point of view that you have developed in response to the topic (sometimes called the thesis statement). This part of the essay is the introduction.

2.       the argument or arguments which are presented to support this point of view. This part is the body of the essay

3.    the summary of the arguments and the restatement of the overall point of view that   has been developed. This part of the essay is the conclusion