Experiment Meaning
/ɪkˈspɛɹ.ɪ.mənt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA test under controlled conditions made to either demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried.
nounExperience, practical familiarity with something.
Sentence Examples
We found the failure of the experiment at the last moment.
Our experiment went wrong last week.
The results of the experiment confirmed our predictions.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The scientist decided to ____ with a new chemical compound in the lab.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The chemistry students conducted an ____ to see how different metals react with acid.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English experiment, from Old French esperiment (French expérience), from Latin experimentum (“experience, attempt, experiment”), from experior (“to experience, to attempt”), itself from ex + *perior, in turn from Proto-Indo-European *per-.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"From her childhood she had been accustomed to watch, and often to aid, in her uncle's chemical experiments; she was, therefore, not at a loss, as a complete novice in the science would have been."
— 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Laboratory”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 327:
"Pilot [...] Vpon his card and compas firmes his eye,
The maisters of his long experiment,
And to them does the steddy helme apply [...]."
— 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
"As well as demonstrating operating facilities, full-size car body models are used for experimenting with new types of interior finish, systems of lighting, positioning of route diagrams and advertisements, and the best form of windscreens at doorways, and the height and location of handgrips and handrails."
— 1951 October, “Models Assist Rolling Stock Design”, in Railway Magazine, page 647:
"Bob is a shameless tourist: Coit Tower, Fisherman's Wharf, Twin Peaks, ad infinitum. I think walking the streets with a map in hand looks dumb; experimenting is much more fun."
— 1978 August 19, David Brill, “California Here I Come!”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 5, page 10:
"Til they had experimented whiche was trewe, and who knewe most."
— 1481, The Mirrour of the World, William Caxton, 1.5.22:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The scientist decided to ____ with a new chemical compound in the lab.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The chemistry students conducted an ____ to see how different metals react with acid.