Ben Jonson first used the word essayist "in English in 1609, according to the" Robert Burton (1577--1640) and Sir Thomas Browne (1605--1682).
Ben Jonson first used the word "essayist" in English in 1609, according to the "Oxford English Dictionary". English essayists included Robert Burton (1577--1640) and Sir Thomas Browne (1605--1682).