a primitive method of determining a person's guilt or innocence by subjecting the accused person to dangerous or painful tests believed to be under divine control; escape was usually taken as a sign of innocence
(psychology) a form of practice; repetition of information (silently or aloud) in order to keep it in short-term memory
a practice session in preparation for a public performance (as of a play or speech or concert); "he missed too many rehearsals"; "a rehearsal will be held the day before the wedding"
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
the ability to hear; the auditory faculty; "his hearing was impaired"
a session (of a committee or grand jury) in which witnesses are called and testimony is taken; "the investigative committee will hold hearings in Chicago"
an opportunity to state your case and be heard; "they condemned him without a hearing"; "he saw that he had lost his audience"
a quantitative or qualitative test of a substance (especially an ore or a drug) to determine its components; frequently used to test for the presence or concentration of infectious agents or antibodies etc.
an appraisal of the state of affairs; "they made an assay of the contents"; "a check on its dependability under stress"
a written report of the results of an analysis of the composition of some substance
a substance that is undergoing an analysis of its components
inquire into; "the students had to research the history of the Second World War for their history project"; "He searched for information on his relatives on the web"; "Scientists are exploring the nature of consciousness"
attempt to find out in a systematically and scientific manner; "The student researched the history of that word"
(obsolete) a combination of elements (of dryness and warmth or of the four humors) that was once believed to determine a person's health and temperament
texture and appearance of the skin of the face
the coloring of a person's face
a point of view or general attitude or inclination; "he altered the complexion of his times"; "a liberal political complexion"
a combination that results from coupling or interlinking; "diphthongs are complexions of vowels"
give a certain color to; "The setting sun complexioned the hills"
melt (fat or lard) in order to separate out impurities; "try the yak butter"; "render fat in a casserole"
test the limits of; "You are trying my patience!"
give pain or trouble to; "I've been sorely tried by these students"
make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world"