English-Thai Dictionary

ordeal

N การพิสูจน์ อย่าง ทารุ ณ  kan-pi-sud-yang-ta-run

 

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ORDEAL

n.[The last syllable is deal, to divide or distribute. The sense of the prefix is less obvious. But the real sense is not obvious. The practice of ordeal however seems to have had its origin in the belief that the substances used had each its particular presiding deity that had perfect control over it. ] 1. An ancient form of trial to determine guilt or innocence, practiced by the rude nations of Europe, and still practiced in the East Indies. In England, the ordeal was of two sorts, fire-ordeal and water-ordeal; the former being confined to persons of higher rank, the latter to the common people. Both might be performed by deputy, but the principal was to answer for the success of the trial.
Fire-ordeal was performed either by taking in the hand a piece of red hot iron, or by walking barefoot and blindfold over nine red hot plowshares laid lengthwise at unequal distances; and if the person escapes unhurt, he was adjudged innocent, otherwise he was condemned as guilty.
Water-ordeal was performed, either by plunging the bare arm to the elbow in boiling water, or by casting the person suspected into a river or pond of cold water and if he floated without an effort to swim, it was an evidence of guilt, but if he sunk he was acquitted.
Both in England and Sweden, the clergy presided at this trial. It was at last condemned as unlawful by the canon law, and in England it was abolished by an order in council of Henry III.
It is probably our proverbial phrase, to go through fire and water, denoting severe trial or danger, is derived from the ordeal; as also the trial of witches by water.
2. Severe trial; accurate scrutiny.

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

ORDEAL

Or "de *al, n. Etym: [AS. ordal, ord, a judgment; akin to D. oordeel,G. urteil, urtheil; orig. , what is dealt out, the prefix or- being akin to a- compounded with verbs, G. er-, ur-, Goth. us-, orig. meaning, out. See Deal, v. & n., and cf. Arise, Ort. ]

 

1. An ancient form of test to determine guilt or innocence, by appealing to a supernatural decision, -- once common in Europe, and still practiced in the East and by savage tribes.

 

Note: In England ordeal by fire and ordeal by water were used, the former confined to persons of rank, the latter to the common people. The ordeal by fire was performed, either by handling red-hot iron, or by walking barefoot and blindfold over red-hot plowshares, laid at unequal distances. If the person escaped unhurt, he was adjudged innocent; otherwise he was condemned as guilty. The ordeal by water was performed, either by plunging the bare arm to the elbow in boiling water, an escape from injury being taken as proof of innocence, or by casting the accused person, bound hand and foot, into a river or pond, when if he floated it was an evidence of guilt, but if he sunk he was acquitted. It is probable that the proverbial phrase, to go through fire and water, denoting severe trial or danger, is derived from the ordeal. See Wager of battle, under Wager.

 

2. Any severe trial, or test; a painful experience. Ordeal bean. (Bot. ) See Calabar bean, under Calabar. -- Ordeal root (Bot. ) the root of a species of Strychnos growing in West Africa, used, like the ordeal bean, in trials for witchcraft. -- Ordeal tree (Bot. ), a poisonous tree of Madagascar (Tanghinia, or Cerbera, venenata ). Persons suspected of crime are forced to eat the seeds of the plumlike fruit, and criminals are put to death by being pricked with a lance dipped in the juice of the seeds.

 

ORDEAL

ORDEAL Or "de *al, a.

 

Defn: Of or pertaining to trial by ordeal.

 

New American Oxford Dictionary

ordeal

or deal |ôrˈdēl ɔrˈdil | ▶noun 1 a painful or horrific experience, esp. a protracted one: the ordeal of having to give evidence. 2 historical an ancient test of guilt or innocence by subjection of the accused to severe pain, survival of which was taken as divine proof of innocence. ORIGIN Old English ordāl, ordēl, of Germanic origin; related to German urteilen ‘give judgment, ’ from a base meaning ‘share out. ’ The word is not found in Middle English (except once in Chaucer's Troylus ); modern use of sense 2 began in the late 16th cent. , whence sense 1 (mid 17th cent ).

 

Oxford Dictionary

ordeal

or ¦deal |ɔːˈdiːəl | ▶noun 1 a very unpleasant and prolonged experience: the ordeal of having to give evidence. 2 historical an ancient test of guilt or innocence by subjection of the accused to severe pain, survival of which was taken as divine proof of innocence. ORIGIN Old English ordāl, ordēl, of Germanic origin; related to German urteilen ‘give judgement ’, from a base meaning ‘share out ’. The word is not found in Middle English (except once in Chaucer's Troilus ); modern use of sense 2 began in the late 16th cent. , whence sense 1 (mid 17th cent. ).

 

American Oxford Thesaurus

ordeal

ordeal noun the hostages survived the ordeal: unpleasant experience, painful experience, trial, tribulation, nightmare, trauma, hell (on earth ), misery, trouble, difficulty, torture, torment, agony.

 

Oxford Thesaurus

ordeal

ordeal noun both women were understandably shaken by their ordeal: painful /unpleasant experience, trial, tribulation, test, nightmare, trauma, baptism of fire, hell, hell on earth, misery, trouble, difficulty, torture, torment, agony.

 

Sanseido Wisdom Dictionary

ordeal

or deal /ɔː r díːl /名詞 複 ～s /-z /1 C «…という » 辛い体験 , 恐ろしい経験, 試練 «of » ▸ the ordeal of appearing in court 裁判所に出廷するという辛い経験 .2 U 〘史 〙試罪, 神判 〘苦痛を与え, その反応で有罪か否かを決断する 〙.