ordeal

English

Etymology

From Middle English ordel, ordal, from Medieval Latin ordālium or inherited from its source Old English ordēl, ordāl (“ordeal, judgement”), from Proto-West Germanic *uʀdailī (“judgement”, literally “an out-dealing”), from *uʀdailijan (“to deal out; dispense”). For more, see Old English or-, English deal.

Cognate with Saterland Frisian Uurdeel (“judgement; verdict”), West Frisian oardiel (“judgement”), Dutch oordeel (“judgement, discretion”), Low German Oordeel (“judgement; verdict”), German Urteil (“judgement, verdict”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɔːˈdiːl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ɔɹˈdil/
• Hyphenation: or‧deal
• Rhymes: -iːl

Noun

ordeal (plural ordeals)

1. (historical) A trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test (such as ducking in water), divine authority deciding the guilt of the accused.

   trial by ordeal

2. (figuratively) A painful or trying experience.
   • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XXI, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:

     “And do you realize that in a few shakes I've got to show up at dinner and have Mrs Cream being very, very kind to me? It hurts the pride of the Woosters, Jeeves.” “My advice, sir, would be to fortify yourself for the ordeal.” “How?” “There are always cocktails, sir. Should I pour you another?” “You should.”

   • 1960 October, P. Ransome-Wallis, “Modern motive power of the German Federal Railway: Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 611:

     All the same, nearly eight hours on the footplate covering a distance of 320 miles, with an ambient temperature of up to 103° for much of the time, proved an ordeal which I would not lightly undertake again.

   • 2012 December 29, Paul Doyle, “Arsenal's Theo Walcott hits hat-trick in thrilling victory over Newcastle”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Arsène Wenger confessed: "The result was not an accurate indication of the match." Certainly, at half-time it seemed unlikely that Arsenal would catch fire so spectacularly because the first half was a damp squib of a display from Wenger's team, as Newcastle initially showed no ill-effects from their Old Trafford ordeal.

3. The poisonous ordeal bean or Calabar bean.

Derived terms

• ordalian
• ordeal bean
• ordeal tree
• trial by ordeal

Translations

trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test

• Arabic: اِمْتِحَان m (imtiḥān), تَجْرُبَة f (tajruba)
• Belarusian: суд бо́жы m (sud bóžy), арда́лія f (ardálija)
• Bulgarian: изпитание (bg) (izpitanie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 折磨 (zh) (Zhémó)

• Dutch: beproeving (nl)
• Finnish: jumaltuomio
• French: ordalie (fr) f
• Georgian: ორდალია (ordalia), უფლის სასამართლო (uplis sasamartlo)
• German: Gottesurteil (de) n, Feuerprobe (de) f
• Italian: ordalia (it) f
• Japanese: 試練 (ja) (しれん, shiren)
• Macedonian: бо́жји суд m (bóžji sud), су́дење n (súdenje)
• Middle English: ordel
• Persian: مصیبت (fa) (mosibat), گرفتاری (fa) (gereftâri)
• Polish: sąd boży m, ordalia (pl) f
• Portuguese: ordália (pt) f
• Romanian: ordalie (ro) f
• Russian: суд бо́жий m (sud bóžij), орда́лии (ru) f pl (ordálii), орда́лия (ru) f (ordálija)
• Spanish: prueba del fuego f, ordalía (es) f
• Swedish: gudsdom (sv) c, ordal (sv) n
• Turkish: ateşten gömlek (tr)
• Ukrainian: суд бо́жий m (sud bóžyj), орда́лія (uk) f (ordálija)

a painful or trying experience — see also plight

• Arabic: مِحْنَة f (miḥna)
• Belarusian: ця́жкае выпрабава́нне n (cjážkaje vyprabavánnje)
• Bulgarian: мъчение (bg) n (mǎčenie)
• Catalan: calvari (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 磨难 (zh) (Mónàn), 煎熬 (zh) (Jiān'áo)

• Dutch: kwelling (nl) f, ontbering (nl) f
• Finnish: koettelemus (fi)
• French: épreuve (fr) f, calvaire (fr) m
• Georgian: განსაცდელი (gansacdeli), გაჭირვება (gač̣irveba)
• German: Tortur (de) f
• Greek: δοκιμασία (el) f (dokimasía), δεινοπάθημα (el) n (deinopáthima)
• Hungarian: megpróbáltatás (hu), kálvária (hu), tortúra (hu)
• Italian: calvario (it) m, tortura (it) f
• Japanese: 苦杯 (ja) (くはい, kuhai)
• Macedonian: пре́мреже n (prémreže), ма́чило n (máčilo), искуше́ние n (iskušénie), патеше́ствие (patešéstvie) (figuratively)
• Māori: whakakohukitanga
• Norwegian: prøvelse m, slit n
• Portuguese: calvário (pt) m, provação (pt) f, via-crúcis f, martírio (pt) m, tormento (pt) m
• Romanian: calvar (ro) n, chin (ro) n
• Russian: суро́вое испыта́ние n (suróvoje ispytánije)
• Spanish: calvario (es) m, suplicio (es) m
• Swedish: prövning (sv) c, pärs (sv) c
• Turkish: çile (tr)
• Ukrainian: важке́ випро́бування n (važké vypróbuvannja)

See also

• trial by fire

Anagrams

• loader, Loader, Eldora, Laredo, reload, Rodela