definitions

trial by battle

trial by combat

noun

history a method of trying an accused person or of settling a dispute by a personal fight between the two parties involved or, in some circumstances, their permitted champions, in the presence of a judge. It was introduced to England after the Norman Conquest and abolished in 1819

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Nearby words

triage, trial, trial and error, trial balance, trial balloon, trial by battle, trial by fire, trial court, trial denture, trial docket, trial examiner
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012