Word a Day
ordeal
What does ordeal mean?
ordeal (noun): a painful or trying experience.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you use ordeal in a sentence?
- Their ordeal is over. (Tatoeba sentence #3882326 by Amastan, CC BY 2.0 FR)
How do you pronounce ordeal?
/ɔɹˈdil/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does ordeal come from?
From Middle English ordel, ordal, from Medieval Latin ordālium or inherited from its source Old English ordēl, ordāl (“ordeal, judgement”).
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “ordeal”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “ordeal” mean?
a painful or trying experience
Right! That's what “ordeal” means.
close and continuous attention
Not quite: that's what vigilance means.
constitution of the human body
Not quite: that's what physique means.
a person's partner in marriage
Not quite: that's what spouse means.
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