Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy of something previously untried.
  • noun The process of conducting such a test; experimentation.
  • noun An innovative act or procedure.
  • noun The result of experimentation.
  • intransitive verb To conduct an experiment.
  • intransitive verb To try something new, especially in order to gain experience.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A trial; a test; specifically, the operation of subjecting objects to certain conditions and observing the result, in order to test some principle or supposition, or to discover something new.
  • noun A becoming practically acquainted with something; an experience.
  • To make trial; make an experiment; operate on a body in such a manner as to discover some unknown fact, or to establish it when known: as, philosophers experiment on natural bodies for the discovery of their qualities and combinations.
  • To try; search out by trial; put to the proof.
  • To know or perceive by experience; experience.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To make experiment; to operate by test or trial; -- often with on, upon, or in, referring to the subject of an experiment; with, referring to the instrument; and by, referring to the means
  • noun A trial or special observation, made to confirm or disprove something uncertain; esp., one under controlled conditions determined by the experimenter; an act or operation undertaken in order to discover some unknown principle or effect, or to test, establish, or illustrate some hypothesis, theory, or known truth; practical test; proof.
  • noun obsolete Experience.
  • transitive verb obsolete To try; to know, perceive, or prove, by trial or experience.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A test under controlled conditions made to either demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy of something previously untried.
  • noun obsolete Experience, practical familiarity with something.
  • verb intransitive To conduct an experiment.
  • verb transitive, obsolete To experience; to feel; to perceive; to detect.
  • verb transitive, obsolete To test or ascertain by experiment; to try out; to make an experiment on.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a venture at something new or different
  • verb try something new, as in order to gain experience
  • noun the act of conducting a controlled test or investigation
  • verb to conduct a test or investigation
  • noun the testing of an idea

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin experīmentum, from experīrī, to try; see per- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French experiment (French: expérience), from Latin experimentum.

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Examples

  • The mercury instantly sank to nearly 30 in. above the surface of the mercury in the basin, leaving in the top of the tube an apparent vacuum, which is now called the _Torricellian vacuum_; this experiment is sometimes known as the _Torricellian experiment_.

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" Various

  • Critics of the drug culture of the later sixties, especially as promoted by Timothy Leary and his followers, point out correctly that using the word experiment is inaccurate.

    The Typewriter Is Holy Bill Morgan 2010

  • Critics of the drug culture of the later sixties, especially as promoted by Timothy Leary and his followers, point out correctly that using the word experiment is inaccurate.

    The Typewriter Is Holy Bill Morgan 2010

  • The use of the term experiment also implies that we, collectively, can study the effects of the government's actions, take note, and change what our government does in the future.

    Cafe Hayek 2009

  • Any offer to the novice to share in the experiment is always declined and I've learned some new words from them.

    Get Your Hunting Camp Featured in F&S! 2009

  • You're not thinking about what can be entertaining, but about how we can make something that isn't inherently fun, fun (This may be an interesting and thought-provoking EXERCISE for us, but in no way should we ever assume the experiment is a valiable option for a great game).

    Kicking The Dog SVGL 2009

  • "You're not thinking about what can be entertaining, but about how we can make something that isn't inherently fun, fun (This may be an interesting and thought-provoking EXERCISE for us, but in no way should we ever assume the experiment is a valiable option for a great game)."

    Kicking The Dog SVGL 2009

  • Any offer to the novice to share in the experiment is always declined and I've learned some new words from them.

    Get Your Hunting Camp Featured in F&S! 2009

  • He said the experiment is also about the effect on people's lives, ranging from mood changes to whether there are more accidents due to disrupted sleep.

    DST confusion 2007

  • The reverse of her experiment is also true: the more regular you blog, the more traffic you will get.

    Archive 2007-04-01 2007

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