experiment

B1 Topic:Science & Research

US /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/ UK /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ɪ.mənt/ See IPA manual

Freq #3016

Meanings

1

noun
A scientific test done to discover something or to check whether an idea is true.

The students carried out an experiment to measure the speed of sound.
2

verb
To try out new ideas or methods to see what happens.

Scientists are experimenting with a new drug to fight the disease.
3

noun
Something new or different that you try in order to see if it works.

As an experiment, I decided to grow a beard.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a scientific test done to... experimentation

2 verb · to try out new ideas or... try out

Word family

Forms experimentalistexperimentalistsexperimentedexperimentingexperiments

Derived forms experimentalexperimentarianexperimentaryexperimentationexperimenteeexperimenter experimentiseexperimentistexperimentizeexperimentwiseinterexperimentintraexperiment

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

pilot experiment
a small preliminary experiment used to guide a larger investigation

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Experiment entered English in the Middle Ages from Latin experimentum, derived from experiri “try.” Experience and expert come from the same Latin verb, with expert originally describing someone who has tried something and learned from it.

Etymology

From Middle English experiment, from Old French esperiment (French expérience), from Latin experimentum (“experience, attempt, experiment”), from experior (“to experience, to attempt”), itself from ex + *perior, in turn from Proto-Indo-European *per-.

*per- Proto-Indo-European experiment Middle English esperiment Old French experimentum Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Science & Research

External links

# experiment

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ɪ.mənt/
**Frequency rank:** 3016

## Meanings
1. A scientific test done to discover something or to check whether an idea is true.
2. To try out new ideas or methods to see what happens.
3. Something new or different that you try in order to see if it works.

## Examples
- The students carried out an experiment to measure the speed of sound.
- Scientists are experimenting with a new drug to fight the disease.
- As an experiment, I decided to grow a beard.

## Derived Forms
- experimental
- experimentarian
- experimentary
- experimentation
- experimentee
- experimenter
- experimentise
- experimentist
- experimentize
- experimentwise
- interexperiment
- intraexperiment

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *per-
- Root: experiment
- Root: esperiment
- Root: experimentum

## Etymology
From Middle English experiment, from Old French esperiment (French expérience), from Latin experimentum (“experience, attempt, experiment”), from experior (“to experience, to attempt”), itself from ex + *perior, in turn from Proto-Indo-European *per-.

## AI Etymology
Experiment comes from Middle English experiment, from Old French esperiment (French expérience), from Latin experimentum (“experience, attempt, experiment”), from experior (“to experience, to attempt”), itself from ex + *perior, in turn from Proto-Indo-European *per-. In current use, the main senses are “A scientific test done to discover something or to check whether an idea is true” and “To try out new ideas or methods to see what happens”.

## Topics
- Science & Research

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