trial

1. (n) An occasion on which a person or thing is tested to find out how well they perform or how suitable they are. 2. (n) (medicine, sciences, research) A research study to test the effectiveness and safety of a drug, medical procedure, etc. 3. (n) (law) 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). 4. (n) The testing of a product or procedure. 5. (n) 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. 6. (n) A difficult or annoying experience or person; (especially religion) such an experience seen as a test of faith and piety. 7. (v) (transitive) To carry out a series of tests on (a new product, procedure etc.) before marketing or implementing it. 8. (v) (transitive) To try out (a new player) in a sports team. 9. (n) (ceramics) A piece of ware used to test the heat of a kiln. 10. (adj) Pertaining to a trial or test. 11. (adj) Attempted on a provisional or experimental basis. 12. (adj) Characterized by having three (usually equivalent) components. 13. (adj) Triple. 14. (adj) (grammar) Pertaining to a language form referring to three of something, like people. (See Ambai language for an example.) 15. (n) (grammar) The trial number. 16. (n) (archaic) An occasion on which armies or individuals meet in combat. 17. (n) (archaic) The action of trying (to do) something, especially more than once. (This sense is still current in the expression trial and error.) 18. (n) (UK) An internal examination set by Eton College.