trial

English Online Dictionary. What means trial‎? What does trial mean?

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɹaɪəl/, [tɹaɪəl]
• Rhymes: -aɪəl
• Hyphenation: tri‧al

Etymology 1

From Middle English trial, triall, from Anglo-Norman trial, triel, from trier (“to pick out, cull”) + -al. More at English try.

Noun

trial (plural trials)

1. An occasion on which a person or thing is tested to find out how well they perform or how suitable they are.

   Synonym: test

   1. The testing of a product or procedure.

      They will perform the trials for the new equipment next week.

   2. (medicine, sciences, research) A research study to test the effectiveness and safety of a drug, medical procedure, etc.

      Synonym: clinical trial

      A randomized, controlled trial (RCT).

   3. An event in which athletes’ or animals’ abilities are tested as they compete for a place on a team, or to move on to the next level of a championship, for example.

      soccer trials; sheepdog trials

   4. (ceramics) A piece of ware used to test the heat of a kiln.
   5. (UK) An internal examination set by Eton College.
   6. (archaic) An occasion on which armies or individuals meet in combat.
2. A meeting or series of meetings in a court of law at which evidence is presented to a judge (and sometimes a jury) to allow them to decide on a legal matter (especially whether an accused person is guilty of a crime).

   Synonym: court case

   • 2020, Charles Yu, Interior Chinatown, New York: Pantheon, Act VI,

     Your Honor, we object to all of this. The whole thing. This mock trial. The entire justice system is rigged against my client.

3. A difficult or annoying experience or person; (especially religion) such an experience seen as a test of faith and piety.
4. (archaic) The action of trying (to do) something, especially more than once. (This sense is still current in the expression trial and error.)

   Synonyms: attempt, try

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

trial (not comparable)

1. Pertaining to a trial or test.
2. Attempted on a provisional or experimental basis.

Translations

Verb

trial (third-person singular simple present trials, present participle (UK) trialling or (US) trialing, simple past and past participle (UK) trialled or (US) trialed)

1. (transitive) To carry out a series of tests on (a new product, procedure etc.) before marketing or implementing it.
2. (transitive) To try out (a new player) in a sports team.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Latin tri- (stem of trēs (“three”)) + -al, on the pattern of dual.

Adjective

trial (not comparable)

1. Characterized by having three (usually equivalent) components.
2. Triple.
3. (grammar) Pertaining to a language form referring to three of something, like people. (See Ambai language for an example.)

   Coordinate terms: singular, dual, plural

Derived terms

• triality

Translations

Noun

trial (plural trials)

1. (grammar) The trial number.

Translations

See also

• (grammatical numbers) grammatical number; singular, dual, trial, quadral, quintal, paucal, plural ^{(Category: en:Grammar)}

Anagrams

• TRALI, Trail, irtal, litra, trail

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English trial.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: tri‧al

Noun

trial m (plural trials, diminutive trialtje n)

1. cross with small but sturdy and very versatile motorcycles, cars or bicycles

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English trial.

Noun

trial m (invariable)

1. (sports) trials (motorcycle etc.)

Anagrams

• altri, latri, tarli

Old French

Etymology

trier (“to try such as in a court of law”) +‎ -al.

Noun

trial oblique singular, m (oblique plural triaus or triax or trials, nominative singular triaus or triax or trials, nominative plural trial)

1. trial (legal procedure)

Usage notes

• due to lack of attestation, the precise meaning is uncertain

Descendants

• → English: trial

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (trial)
• trial on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub