different between embarrassment vs trial

English

Etymology

From embarrass +? -ment

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?bæ??sm?nt/

Noun

embarrassment (countable and uncountable, plural embarrassments)

1. A state of discomfort arising from bashfulness or consciousness of having violated a social rule; humiliation.
2. A person or thing which is the cause of humiliation to another.

   Kevin, you are an embarrassment to this family.

   Losing this highly publicized case was an embarrassment to the firm.
3. A large collection of good or valuable things, especially one that exceeds requirements.
   • 1914, Collier's, page 30

     There are over 5,000 Americans now in Paris, many artists, singers, musicians, writers, and actors, so many, indeed, the committee could hardly pick a program from an embarrassment of volunteers.

   • 1996, David Morgan Evans, Peter Salway, David Thackray, The Remains of Distant Times: Archaeology and the National Trust, Boydell & Brewer ?ISBN, page 188

     The landscape presented an embarrassment of riches for the industrial archaeologist, and eighteenth- and nineteenth-century remains were still visible in abundance

   • 2013, Frank Boccia, The Crouching Beast: A United States Army Lieutenant's Account of the Battle for Hamburger Hill, May 1969, McFarland ?ISBN, page 256

     At one time, I reflected, we'd had an embarrassment of good, qualified squad leader—ready men in the platoon.

4. A state of confusion; hesitation; uncertainty
5. (medicine) Impairment of function due to disease: respiratory embarrassment.
6. (dated) Difficulty in financial matters; poverty.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• embarrassment in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• embarrassment in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t?a??l/
• Rhymes: -a??l
• Hyphenation: tri?al

Etymology 1

From Middle English trial, triall, from Anglo-Norman trial, triel, from trier (“to pick out, cull”) + -al. More at English try.

Noun

trial (plural trials)

1. An opportunity to test something out; a test.

   They will perform the trials for the new equipment next week.

2. Appearance at judicial court in order to be examined.
3. A difficult or annoying experience.

   That boy was a trial to his parents.

4. A tryout to pick members of a team.

   soccer trials

5. (ceramics) A piece of ware used to test the heat of a kiln.
6. (Britain) An internal examination set by Eton College.

Translations

Adjective

trial (not comparable)

1. Pertaining to a trial or test.
2. Attempted on a provisional or experimental basis.

Translations

Verb

trial (third-person singular simple present trials, present participle (UK) trialling or (US) trialing, simple past and past participle (UK) trialled or (US) trialed)

1. To carry out a series of tests on (a new product, procedure etc.) before marketing or implementing it.
2. To try out (a new player) in a sports team.

Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Latin tri- (stem of tr?s (“three”)) + -al, on the pattern of dual.

Adjective

trial (not comparable)

1. Characterized by having three (usually equivalent) components.
2. Triple.
3. (grammar) Pertaining to a language form referring to three of something, like people; contrast singular, dual and plural. (See Ambai language for an example.)

   No language has a trial number unless it has a dual.

Derived terms

• triality

Translations

See also

• (grammatical numbers) grammatical number; singular, dual, trial, quadral, paucal, plural ^{(Category: en:Grammar)}

Anagrams

• TRALI, Trail, irtal, litra, trail

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English trial.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: tri?al

Noun

trial m (plural trials, diminutive trialtje n)

1. Cross with small but sturdy and very versatile motorcycles, cars or bicycles

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English trial.

Noun

trial m (invariable)

1. (sports) trials (motorcycle etc)

Anagrams

• altri, latri, tarli

Old French

Etymology

trier (“to try such as in a court of law”) +? -al.

Noun

trial m (oblique plural triaus or triax or trials, nominative singular triaus or triax or trials, nominative plural trial)

1. trial (legal procedure)

Usage notes

• due to lack of attestation, the precise meaning is uncertain

Descendants

• ? English: trial

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (trial)
• trial on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub