1. (n.) Any severe trial or test; a painful experience.
2. (n.) An ancient form of test to determine guilt or innocence, by appealing to a supernatural decision, -- once common in Europe, and still practiced in the East and by savage tribes.
3. (a.) of or pertaining to trial by ordeal.
Thesaurus Entries
Sabbat, acid test, adversity, affliction, anguish, assay, blank determination, brouillon, calvary, criterion, cross, crucial test, crucible, determination, disaster, distress, docimasy, essay, feeling out, fiery ordeal, first draft, ghost dance, grief, hardship, kiteflying, magic circle, misery, misfortune, nightmare, ordeal by battle, probation, proof, rough draft, rough sketch, sounding out, standard, suffering, test, test case, touchstone, tragedy, trial, trials and tribulations, tribulation, tribulations, troubles, try, verification, visitation
