Meanings
plural trials by ordeal
- countableuncountablelawAn archaic practice by which a person accused of a crime could prove their innocence by their survival of physically painful tests.
Along with trial by ordeal, hanging was the most effective deterrent that could be devised in an age without police or prisons.
1999, Robert Lacey, Danny Danziger, The Year 1000: What life was like at the turn of The First Millennium, London: Abacus, published 2000, page 175
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna primitive method of determining a person's guilt or innocence by subjecting the accused person to dangerous or painful tests believed to be under divine control; escape was usually taken as a sign of innocence
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
French ordalie
- ordaliepractice
Polish ordalia
- ordaliapractice
Portuguese ordália
- ordáliapractice
Thai จารีตนครบาล
- จารีตนครบาลpractice
Cite this entry
trial by ordeal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trial%20by%20ordeal
“trial by ordeal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trial%20by%20ordeal. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “trial by ordeal,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trial%20by%20ordeal.
Source: trial by ordeal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.