try

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 Try (disambiguation) on Wikipedia

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See also TRY, and trý

Contents

English [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Etymology 1 [edit]

From Middle English trien (“to try a legal case”), from Anglo-Norman trier (“to try a case”), Old French trier (“to choose, pick out or separate from others, sift, cull”), of uncertain origin. Believed to be a metathetic variation of Old French tirer (“to pull out, snatch”), from Gothic 𐍄𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (tiran, “to tear away, remove”), from Proto-Germanic *teraną (“to tear, tear apart”), from Proto-Indo-European *derə- (“to tear, tear apart”), see tear. Related to Occitan triar (“to pick out, choose from among others”).

Replaced native Middle English cunnen (“to try”) (from Old English cunnian), Middle English fandien (“to try, prove”) (from Old English fandian), and Middle English costnien (“to try, tempt, test”) (from Old English costnian).

Verb [edit]

try (third-person singular simple present tries, present participle trying, simple past and past participle tried)

  1. To attempt; to endeavour. Followed by infinitive.
    I tried to rollerblade, but I couldn’t.
    I'll come to dinner soon. I'm trying to beat this level first.
  2. (obsolete) To separate (precious metal etc.) from the ore by melting; to purify, refine.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.vii:
      euery feend his busie paines applide, / To melt the golden metall, ready to be tride.
  3. To make an experiment. Usually followed by a present participle.
    I tried mixing more white paint to get a lighter shade.
  4. To work on something.
    You are trying too hard.
  5. To put to test.
    I shall try my skills on this
    You are trying my patience.
  6. To taste, sample, etc.
    Try this—you’ll love it.
  7. To put on trial.
    He was tried and executed.
  8. (nautical) To lie to in heavy weather under just sufficient sail to head into the wind.
  9. (obsolete) To do; to fare.
    How do you try! = how do you do?
Usage notes [edit]
  • (to attempt): This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. In the future tense, it can take and instead of to.
    I'm going to try and distract him.
  • (to make an experiment): This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing).
  • See Appendix:English catenative verbs
Synonyms [edit]
Derived terms [edit]
Terms derived from the verb try
Related terms [edit]
Terms etymologically related to the verb try
Translations [edit]
to attempt
to make an experiment
to work on something
to put to test
to taste, sample, etc
to put on trial
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun [edit]

Wikipedia has an article on:

Wikipedia try (plural tries)

  1. An attempt.
    I gave unicycling a try but I couldn’t do it.
  2. An act of tasting or sampling.
    I gave sushi a try but I didn’t like it.
  3. (rugby) A score in rugby, analogous to a touchdown in American football.
    Today I scored my first try.
    • 2011 October 1, Tom Fordyce, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 16-12 Scotland”, BBC Sport:
      But two penalties and a drop-goal from Jonny Wilkinson, despite a host of other wayward attempts, plus a late try from Chris Ashton were enough to send a misfiring England through.
  4. (UK, dialect, obsolete) A screen, or sieve, for grain.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Holland to this entry?)
Synonyms [edit]
Derived terms [edit]
Terms derived from the noun try
Translations [edit]
an attempt
an act of tasting or sampling
a score in rugby
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Etymology 2 [edit]

Probably from Old French trié.

Adjective [edit]

try (comparative more try, superlative most try)

  1. (obsolete) Fine, excellent.
    • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, V.2:
      But he her suppliant hands, those hands of gold, / And eke her feete, those feete of silver trye, […] Chopt off […].

Statistics [edit]

Anagrams [edit]

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