Experiment

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ɪ.mənt/

Definitions

1. a systematic investigation or test performed to examine how something works or responds to conditions
2. a practical trial or examination carried out to obtain evidence about or test the validity of a theory or idea
3. A carefully planned scientific procedure to discover new information or verify facts ; a trial conducted to assess the truth or effectiveness of a concept or hypothesis

Etymology: Before "experiment" meant a controlled test, Latin "experimentum" meant something closer to "experience" or "proof," the result of having tried something. The Latin verb "experior" ("to try, to test, to experience") was built from "ex-" ("out") and a root related to "peril" and "perilous," so the underlying idea is of venturing out and getting through a risk. Through Old French "esperiment," the word reached Middle English, where it still carried this sense of trial and proof rather than a laboratory procedure. The word's core meaning of a deliberate test to find something out developed gradually from that broader notion of trying something to see what happens. The "experience" and "trial" senses remained in use alongside it, which is why the word can still refer both to a single controlled test and to a general attempt at something new.

Synonyms: test, trial, investigation

Antonyms: certainty, fact