ex·pe·ri·ence ( ¹k-spîr"¶-…ns) n. 1. The apprehension of an object, a thought, or an emotion through the senses or mind: a child's first experience of snow. 2. a. Active participation in events or activities, leading to the accumulation of knowledge or skill: a lesson taught by experience; a carpenter with experience in wall and roof repair. b. The knowledge or skill so derived. 3. a. An event or a series of events participated in or lived through. b. The totality of such events in the past of an individual or a group. v. tr. ex·per·i·enced ex·per·i·enc·ing ex·per·i·enc·es 1. To participate in personally; undergo: experience a great adventure; experienced loneliness. [Middle English from Old French from Latin experientia from experi¶ns experient-, present participle of experºrºto try; See per- 3 in Indo-European Roots.] ex·pe "ri·enc·er n.

Synonyms: experience suffer sustain taste undergo The central meaning shared by these verbs is " to encounter or partake of personally ": experience happiness; suffer a loss; sustained an injury; tasted freedom; has undergone a religious conversion.

per- 3 . Important derivatives are: fear peril experience experiment expert pirate empiric To try, risk ( < " to lead over, " " press forward "). I. A verbal root belonging to the group of per 1 . 1. Lengthened grade *p ¶r-. FEAR , from Old English f Ær, danger, sudden calamity, from Germanic *f ¶raz, danger. 2. Suffixed form *per º-tlo-. ( PARLOUS ), PERIL , from Latin per ºclum, per ºculum, trial, danger. 3. Suffixed form *per-yo- . EXPERIENCE , EXPERIMENT , EXPERT , from Latin exper ºrº, to try, learn by trying ( ex- , from; see eghs ). 4. Suffixed form *per-ya . PIRATE ; EMPIRIC , from Greek peira , trial, attempt. [ Pokorny 2. E. per 818. ]

con·fi·dence ( k¼n"f¹-d…ns) n. 1. Trust or faith in a person or thing. 2. A trusting relationship: I took them into my confidence. 3. a. That which is confided; a secret: A friend does not betray confidences. b. A feeling of assurance that a confidant will keep a secret: I am telling you this in strict confidence. 4. A feeling of assurance, especially of self-assurance. 5. The state or quality of being certain: I have every confidence in your ability to succeed. adj. 1. Of, relating to, or involving a swindle or fraud: a confidence scheme; a confidence trickster.

Synonyms: confidence assurance aplomb self-confidence self-possession These nouns denote a feeling of emotional security resulting from faith in oneself. Confidence is a firm belief in one's powers, abilities, or capacities: " You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face " (Eleanor Roosevelt). Assurance even more strongly stresses certainty and can suggest arrogance: How can a nonscientist explain an abstruse theory with such assurance? Aplomb implies calm poise: " It is native personality, and that alone, that endows a man to stand before presidents or generals, or in any distinguished collection, with aplomb " (Walt Whitman). Self-confidence stresses trust in one's own self-sufficiency: " The most vital quality a soldier can possess is self-confidence, utter, complete and bumptious " (George S. Patton). Self-possession implies composure arising from control over one's own reactions: " In life courtesy and self-possession . . . are the sensible impressions of the free mind, for both arise . . . from never being swept away, whatever the emotion, into confusion or dullness " (William Butler Yeats). trust

tract 1 ( tr²kt) n. 1. a. An expanse of land or water. b. A specified or limited area of land: developing a 30-acre tract. 2. Anatomy a. A system of organs and tissues that together perform a specialized function: the alimentary tract. b. A bundle of nerve fibers having a common origin, termination, and function. 3. Archaic A stretch or lapse of time. [Middle English period of time from Latin tr³ctus course, space, period of time, from past participle of trahere to draw]

tract 2 ( tr²kt) n. 1. A leaflet or pamphlet containing a declaration or an appeal, especially one put out by a religious or political group. [Middle English tracte treatise probably short for Latin tr³ct³tus,from past participle of tr³ct³reto discuss, frequentative of trahere to draw]

tract 3 ( tr²kt) n. 1. The verses from Scripture sung during Lent or on Ember days after the gradual in the Roman Catholic Mass. [Middle English tracte from Medieval Latin tr³ctus from Latin a drawing out (from its being an uninterrupted solo); See tract 1 ]

trait ( tr³t) n. 1. A distinguishing feature, as of a person's character. See note at quality . 2. A genetically determined characteristic or condition: a recessive trait. 3. a. A stroke with or as if with a pencil. b. A slight degree or amount, as of a quality; a touch or trace: a sermon with a trait of humor. [Middle English shot from Old French something drawn, shot from Latin tr³ctus a drawing out, line; See tract 1 ]

treat ( tr¶t) v. treat·ed treat·ing treats v. tr. 1. To act or behave in a specified manner toward. 2. To regard and handle in a certain way. Often used with as : treated the matter as a joke. 3. To deal with in writing or speech; discuss: a book that treats all aspects of health care. 4. To deal with or represent artistically in a specified manner or style: treats the subject poetically. 5. a. To provide with food, entertainment, or gifts at one's own expense: treated her sister to the theater. b. To give (someone or oneself) something pleasurable: treated herself to a day in the country. 6. To subject to a process, an action, or a change, especially to a chemical or physical process or application. 7. a. To give medical aid to (someone): treated many patients in the emergency room. b. To give medical aid to counteract (a disease or condition): treated malaria with quinine. v. intr. 1. To deal with a subject or topic in writing or speech. Often used with of : The essay treats of courtly love. 2. To pay for another's entertainment, food, or drink. 3. To engage in negotiations, as to reach a settlement or agree on terms: " Both sides nonetheless are quite willing to treat with [the king] " Gregory J. Wallance n. 1. Something, such as one's food or entertainment, that is paid for by someone else. 2. A source of a special delight or pleasure: A day in the country is a real treat for a city person. [Middle English tretien from Old French traitier from Latin tr³ct³re,frequentative of trahere to draw] treat "er n.

Synonyms: treat deal handle The central meaning shared by these verbs is " to act in a specified way with regard to someone or something ": treats his guests with courtesy; dealt rationally with the problem; handling a case with discretion. confer

trout ( trout) n. pl. trout or trouts 1. a. Any of various freshwater or anadromous food and game fishes of the family Salmonidae, especially of the genera Salmo and Salvelinus, usually having a streamlined, speckled body with small scales. b. Any of various similar but unrelated fishes, such as the troutperch. 2. Chiefly British An elderly woman regarded as being silly. [Middle English troute from Old English tr¿ht from Late Latin tructa perhaps from Greek tr½kt¶s a kind of sea fish with sharp teeth from tr½gein to gnaw; See ter …- 1 in Indo-European Roots.]

ter …- 1 . Important derivatives are: trite detriment thrash thresh threshold turn contour return drill 1 throw thread trauma truant To rub, turn; with some derivatives referring to twisting, boring, drilling, and piercing; and others referring to the rubbing of cereal grain to remove the husks, and thence to the process of threshing either by the trampling of oxen or by flailing with flails. Variant *tr ¶-, contracted from *tre …-. I. Full-grade form *ter( …)-. 1. a. TRITE , TRITURATE ; ATTRITION , CONTRITE , DETRIMENT , from Latin terere (past participle tr ºtus), to rub away, thresh, tread, wear out; b. TEREDO , from Greek ter ¶d½n, a kind of biting worm. 2. Suffixed form *ter-et- . TERETE , from Latin teres (stem teret- ), rounded, smooth. 3. Suffixed form *ter-sko- . a. ( THRASH ), THRESH , from Old English therscan , to thresh; b. THRESHOLD , from Old English therscold , threscold , sill of a door (over which one treads; second element obscure). Both a and b from Germanic *therskan , *threskan , to thresh, tread. II. O-grade form *tor( …)-. 1. TOREUTICS , from Greek toreus , a boring tool. 2. Suffixed form *tor( …)-mo-, hole. DERMA 2 , from Old High German darm , gut, from Germanic *tharma- . 3. Suffixed form *tor( …)-no-. TURN ; ( ATTORN ), CONTOUR , ( DETOUR ), ( RETURN ), from Greek tornos , tool for drawing a circle, circle, lathe. III. Zero-grade form *tr- . DRILL 1 , from Middle Dutch drillen , to drill, from Germanic *thr- . IV. Variant form *tr ¶- ( < *tre …-). 1. THROW , from Old English thr ³wan, to turn, twist, from Germanic *thr ¶w-. 2. Suffixed form *tr ¶-tu-. THREAD , from Old English thr Æd, thread, from Germanic *thr ¶du-, twisted yarn. 3. Suffixed form *tr ¶-mö ( < *tre …- or *t —…-). MONOTREME , TREMATODE , from Greek tr ¶ma, perforation. 4. Suffixed form *tr ¶-ti- ( < *tre …- or *t —…-). ATRESIA , from Greek tr ¶sis, perforation. V. Extended form *tr º- ( < *tri …-). 1. Probably suffixed form *tr º-½n-. SEPTENTRION , from Latin tri ½, plow ox. 2. Suffixed form *tr º-dhlo-. TRIBULATION , from Latin tr ºbulum, a threshing sledge. VI. Various extended forms 1. Forms *tr ½-, *trau- . TRAUMA , from Greek trauma , hurt, wound. 2. Form *tr ºb-. DIATRIBE , TRIBOELECTRICITY , TRIBOLOGY , TRYPSIN , from Greek tribein , to rub, thresh, pound, wear out. 3. Form *tr ½g-, *trag- . a. TROGON , TROUT , from Greek tr ½gein, to gnaw; b. DREDGE 2 , from Greek trag ¶ma, sweetmeat. 4. Form *trup- . TREPAN 1 ; TRYPANOSOME , from Greek trup ¶, hole. 5. Possible form *tr ¿g-. TRUANT , from Old French truant , beggar. [ Pokorny 3. ter- 1071. ]

trust ( tr¾st) n. 1. Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing. 2. Custody; care. 3. Something committed into the care of another; charge. 4. a. The condition and resulting obligation of having confidence placed in one: violated a public trust. b. One in which confidence is placed. 5. Reliance on something in the future; hope. 6. Reliance on the intention and ability of a purchaser to pay in the future; credit. 7. Abbr. tr. Law a. A legal title to property held by one party for the benefit of another. b. The confidence reposed in a trustee when giving the trustee legal title to property to administer for another, together with the trustee's obligation regarding that property and the beneficiary. c. The property so held. 8. A combination of firms or corporations for the purpose of reducing competition and controlling prices throughout a business or an industry. v. trust·ed trust·ing trusts v. intr. 1. To have or place reliance; depend: Trust in the Lord. Trust to destiny. 2. To be confident; hope. 3. To sell on credit. v. tr. 1. To have or place confidence in; depend on. 2. To expect with assurance; assume: I trust that you will be on time. 3. To believe: I trust what you say. 4. To place in the care of another; entrust. 5. To grant discretion to confidently: Can I trust them with the boat? 6. To extend credit to.

Idioms: in trust 1. In the possession or care of a trustee. [Middle English truste perhaps from Old Norse traust confidence; See deru- in Indo-European Roots.] trust "er n.

Synonyms: trust faith confidence reliance dependence These nouns denote a feeling of certainty that a person or thing will not fail. Trust implies depth and assurance of feeling that is often based on inconclusive evidence: The new President said he would try to justify the trust the electorate had placed in him. Faith connotes unquestioning, often emotionally charged belief: " Faith and knowledge lean largely upon each other in the practice of medicine " (Peter M. Latham). " Often enough our faith beforehand in an uncertified result is the only thing that makes the result come true " (William James). Confidence, which suggests less emotional intensity, frequently implies stronger grounds for assurance: " Confidence is a plant of slow growth in an aged bosom: youth is the season of credulity " (William Pitt). Reliance connotes a confident and trustful commitment to another: " What reliance could they place on the protection of a prince so recently their enemy? " (William Hickling Prescott). Dependence suggests reliance on the help or support of another to whom one is often subordinate: " I fared like a distressed Prince who calls in a powerful Neighbor to his Aid . . . when I had once called him in, I could not subsist without Dependence on him " (Richard Steele). care rely

deru- . Important derivatives are: tree truce true truth trust tray trough trim tar 1 endure druid Also dreu- To be firm, solid, steadfast; hence specialized senses " wood," " tree," and derivatives referring to objects made of wood. I. 1. Suffixed variant form *drew-o- . a. TREE , from Old English tr ¶ow, tree, from Germanic *trewam ; b. TRUCE , from Old English tr ¶ow, pledge, from Germanic *treuw ½. 2. Variant form dreu- . a. TRUE , from Old English tr ¶owe, firm, true; b. TROW , from Old English tr ¶owian, tr ¿wian, to trust; c. TRIG 1 , from Old Norse tryggr , firm, true; d. TROTH , TRUTH ; BETROTH , from Old English tr ¶owth faith, loyalty, truth, from Germanic abstract noun *treuwith ½; e. TRUST , from Old Norse traust , confidence, firmness, from Germanic abstract noun *traustam ; f. TRYST , from Old French triste , waiting place ( < " place where one waits trustingly "), probably from a source akin to Old Norse denominative treysta , to trust, make firm. a, b, c, d, e, and f all from Germanic *treuwaz . 3. Variant form *drou- . TRAY , from Old English tr ¶g, tr ºg, wooden board, from Germanic *traujam . 4. Suffixed zero-grade form *dru-ko- . TROUGH , from Old English trog , wooden vessel, tray, from Germanic *trugaz . 5. Suffixed zero-grade form *dru-mo- . a. TRIM , from Old English trum , firm, strong; b. SHELTER , from Old English truma , troop. Both a and b from Germanic *trum- . 6. Variant form *derw- . TAR 1 , from Old English te(o)ru , resin, pitch (obtained from the pine tree), from Germanic *terw- . 7. Suffixed variant form *dr ¿-ro-. DOUR , DURAMEN , DURESS , DURUM ; ( DURA MATER ), ENDURE , INDURATE , OBDURATE , from Latin d ¿rus, hard (many of whose English derivatives represent a semantic cross with Latin d ¿r³re, to last long; see deu …-). 8. Lengthened zero-grade form *dr ¿-. DRUPE , DRYAD ; DRYOPITHECINE , GERMANDER , HAMADRYAD , from Greek drus , oak. 9. Reduplicated form *der-drew- , dissimilated with suffix in *der-drew-on . DENDRO- , DENDRON ; PHILODENDRON , RHODODENDRON , from Greek dendron , tree. 10. DRUID , from Latin druides , druids, probably from Celtic compound *dru-wid- , " strong seer " ( *wid- , seeing; see weid- ), the Celtic priestly caste. 11. O-grade form *doru- . DEODAR , from Sanskrit d ³ru, wood, timber. [ Pokorny deru- 214. ]

tryst ( tr¹st) n. 1. An agreement, as between lovers, to meet at a certain time and place. 2. A meeting or meeting place that has been agreed on. See note at engagement . v. intr. tryst·ed tryst·ing trysts 1. To keep a tryst. [Middle English trist from Old French triste a waiting place (in hunting); See deru- in Indo-European Roots.] tryst "er n.

deru- . Important derivatives are: tree truce true truth trust tray trough trim tar 1 endure druid Also dreu- To be firm, solid, steadfast; hence specialized senses " wood," " tree," and derivatives referring to objects made of wood. I. 1. Suffixed variant form *drew-o- . a. TREE , from Old English tr ¶ow, tree, from Germanic *trewam ; b. TRUCE , from Old English tr ¶ow, pledge, from Germanic *treuw ½. 2. Variant form dreu- . a. TRUE , from Old English tr ¶owe, firm, true; b. TROW , from Old English tr ¶owian, tr ¿wian, to trust; c. TRIG 1 , from Old Norse tryggr , firm, true; d. TROTH , TRUTH ; BETROTH , from Old English tr ¶owth faith, loyalty, truth, from Germanic abstract noun *treuwith ½; e. TRUST , from Old Norse traust , confidence, firmness, from Germanic abstract noun *traustam ; f. TRYST , from Old French triste , waiting place ( < " place where one waits trustingly "), probably from a source akin to Old Norse denominative treysta , to trust, make firm. a, b, c, d, e, and f all from Germanic *treuwaz . 3. Variant form *drou- . TRAY , from Old English tr ¶g, tr ºg, wooden board, from Germanic *traujam . 4. Suffixed zero-grade form *dru-ko- . TROUGH , from Old English trog , wooden vessel, tray, from Germanic *trugaz . 5. Suffixed zero-grade form *dru-mo- . a. TRIM , from Old English trum , firm, strong; b. SHELTER , from Old English truma , troop. Both a and b from Germanic *trum- . 6. Variant form *derw- . TAR 1 , from Old English te(o)ru , resin, pitch (obtained from the pine tree), from Germanic *terw- . 7. Suffixed variant form *dr ¿-ro-. DOUR , DURAMEN , DURESS , DURUM ; ( DURA MATER ), ENDURE , INDURATE , OBDURATE , from Latin d ¿rus, hard (many of whose English derivatives represent a semantic cross with Latin d ¿r³re, to last long; see deu …-). 8. Lengthened zero-grade form *dr ¿-. DRUPE , DRYAD ; DRYOPITHECINE , GERMANDER , HAMADRYAD , from Greek drus , oak. 9. Reduplicated form *der-drew- , dissimilated with suffix in *der-drew-on . DENDRO- , DENDRON ; PHILODENDRON , RHODODENDRON , from Greek dendron , tree. 10. DRUID , from Latin druides , druids, probably from Celtic compound *dru-wid- , " strong seer " ( *wid- , seeing; see weid- ), the Celtic priestly caste. 11. O-grade form *doru- . DEODAR , from Sanskrit d ³ru, wood, timber. [ Pokorny deru- 214. ]