ex·per·i·ment 
(ĭk-spĕrə-mənt)
(ĭk-spĕrə-mənt)n.
1.
a. A test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy of something previously untried.
b. The process of conducting such a test; experimentation.
2. An innovative act or procedure: "Democracy is only an experiment in government" (William Ralph Inge).
3. The result of experimentation: "We are not [nature's] only experiment" (R. Buckminster Fuller).
intr.v. (-mĕnt′) ex·per·i·ment·ed, ex·per·i·ment·ing, ex·per·i·ments
1. To conduct an experiment.
2. To try something new, especially in order to gain experience: experiment with new methods of teaching.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin experīmentum, from experīrī, to try; see per-3 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
ex·peri·ment′er n.