counter-trial

noun

A staged trial, running in parallel with a real one that is thought to be politically motivated or otherwise rigged, in which the truth can be made public.

OriginEnglish trial ← Middle English trial ← Anglo-Norman trial →
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouncounter-trial (plural counter-trials)

plural counter-trials · alternative countertrial · alternative counter trial

  1. A staged trial, running in parallel with a real one that is thought to be politically motivated or otherwise rigged, in which the truth can be made public.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Italic*kom
  4. Proto-Italic*kom-
  5. Proto-Italic*komteros
  6. Proto-Italic*komterād
  7. Latincontrā
  8. Old Frenchcontre-
  9. Anglo-Normancountre-
  10. Middle Englishcounter-
  11. Englishcounter-
  12. Old Frenchtrier
  13. Anglo-Normantrial
  14. Middle Englishtrial
  15. Englishtrial
  16. Englishcounter-trial

From counter- + trial.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

counter-trial. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counter-trial

MLA

“counter-trial.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counter-trial. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “counter-trial,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counter-trial.

Source: counter-trial on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.