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Origin and history of trial

trial(n.)

mid-15c., "an examination before a court" to determine guilt or innocence or the rightness of a cause; also "a trial by arms;" from Anglo-French trial, noun formed from Old French trier "to try, pick out, cull" (12c.), from Gallo-Roman *triare, a word of unknown origin. 

It is attested by late 15c. generally as "act or process of testing; a putting to proof by examination, experiment, etc." By 1540s as "state of being tried, a being subject to affliction or trouble through experience of something."

As an adjectival phrase, (rule of) trial-and-error is recorded from 1806. Trial balloon (1826) translates French ballon d'essai, a small balloon sent up immediately before a manned ascent to determine the direction and tendency of winds in the upper air, though the earliest use in English is figurative.

also from mid-15c.

Entries linking to trial

mistrial(n.)

"a trial the outcome of which is vitiated by errors," 1620s; see mis- (1) + trial (n.). Sometimes used incorrectly for "an inconclusive trial, trial with a hung jury."

pretrial(adj.)

"of or pertaining to the period before a trial," 1921, American English, from pre- "before" + trial. As a noun, "preliminary hearing before a trial," 1938.

retrial(n.)

"repetition of a trial, a second or new trial," 1813, from re- "again" + trial (n.).

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    Trends of trial

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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    test
    late 14c., "small vessel used in assaying precious metals," from Old French test, from Latin testum "earthen pot," related to testa "piece of burned clay, earthen pot, shell" (see tete). Sense of "trial or examination to determine the correctness of something" is recorded from 15
    tribulation
    "a state of affliction or oppression, suffering, distress," c. 1200, from Old French tribulacion (12c.), from Church Latin tribulationem (nominative tribulatio) "distress, trouble, affliction," noun of action from past-participle stem of tribulare "to oppress, afflict," a figurat
    visitation
    c. 1300, "a visit by an ecclesiastical representative to examine the condition of a parish, abbey, etc.," from Anglo-French visitacioun, Old French visitacion and directly from Latin visitationem (nominative visitatio), noun of action from past participle stem of visitare (see vi
    probation
    early 15c., probacioun, "trial, experiment, test, act of examining with a probe," from Old French probacion "proof, evidence...(14c., Modern French probation) and directly from Latin probationem (nominative probatio) "approval, assent; a proving, trial...Meaning "testing of a person's conduct" (especially as a trial period of a candidate for membership) is from early 15c.,...originally especially a testing or trial by adversity....
    experiment
    mid-14c., "action of observing or testing; an observation, test, or trial;" also "piece of evidence or empirical proof; feat...of magic or sorcery," from Old French esperment "practical knowledge, cunning; enchantment, magic spell; trial, proof, example...; lesson, sign, indication," from Latin experimentum "a trial, test, proof, experiment," noun of action from experiri "to...
    essay
    1590s, "trial, attempt, endeavor," also "short, discursive literary composition" (first attested in writings of Francis Bacon..., probably in imitation of Montaigne), from French essai "trial, attempt, essay" (in Old French from 12c.), from Late Latin...
    judgment
    mid-13c., jugement, "action of trying at law, trial," also "capacity for making decisions," from Old French jugement "legal...From late 14c. in reference to the final trial of the human race in a future state (Judgment Day attested from late 14c.)...
    Delian
    1620s, "of Delos," the tiny island in the Aegean that was the reputed birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Delian problem "find the length of the side of a cube having double the volume of a given cube," was set by the oracle at Delos when it answered (430 B.C.E.) that the plague in
    denial
    1520s, "refusal to grant what is requested or desired;" see deny + -al (2). Replaced earlier denyance (late 15c.). Sense of "act of asserting to the contrary, contradicting" is from 1570s; that of "refusal to accept or acknowledge" is from 1580s. In some 19c. uses, it really mean
    Aldine
    typeface, 1837, from Aldus Manutius (1450-1515), Venetian printer who used it in his popular editions of Greek and Roman classics. His name is a Latinized form of Italian Aldo Manuzio; the first name is short for Teobaldo (see Theobald), and, like many Italian masc. given names,

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