Re: Try

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Carl Hult <datalampa@...> wrote:

>
> Try is one of my favourite words and a mysterious one. According to
> www.etymonline.com try is a french word:
>
> c.1300, "examine judiciously, sit in judgment of," from Anglo-Fr. trier
> (c.1290), from O.Fr. trier "to pick out, cull" (12c.), from
> Gallo-Romance *triare, of unknown origin.
>
> http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=try
>
> I don´t doubt any of this but isn´t there any knowledge of this word
> before the 13th century?
>
> /Carl Hult

******
Buck's "Synonyms":
ME 'trie', NE 'try', in earliest use "separate the good", "sift",
etc. (as still in "try out fat") fr. OFR 'trier' "separate", this
prob., (despite Prov. 'triar') fr. VLat '*tritare' (It 'tritare' "rub
down, puverize, cut into small pieces", formerly also "thresh grain"),
this fr. Lat 'terere', pple. 'tritus' "rub" and also "thresh".

Seems reasonable.
Dan