EXPER'IMENT, noun [Latin experimentum, from experior, as in experience, which see.] A trial; an act or operation designed to discover some unknown truth, principle or effect, or to establish it when discovered. Experiments in chimistry disclose the qualities of natural bodies. A series of experiments proves the uniformity of the laws of matter. It is not always safe to trust to a single experiment It is not expedient to try many experiments in legislation. A political experiment cannot be made in a laboratory, nor determined in a few hours. EXPER'IMENT, verb intransitive To make trial; to make an experiment; to operate on a body in such a manner as to discover some unknown fact, or to establish it when known. Philosophers experiment on natural bodies for the discovery of their qualities and combinations. 1. To try; to search by trial. 2. To experience. [Not used.] EXPER'IMENT, verb transitive To try; to know by trial. [Little used.]
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI