/ ɔːˈdiːl; ˈɔːdiːl; NAmE ɔːrˈd-/ noun
[ usually sing. ] ordeal (of sth / of doing sth) a difficult or unpleasant experience :
They are to be spared the ordeal of giving evidence in court.
The hostages spoke openly about the terrible ordeal they had been through.
The interview was less of an ordeal than she'd expected.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English ordāl , ordēl , of Germanic origin; related to German urteilen give judgement, from a base meaning share out. The word is not found in Middle English (except once in Chaucer's Troilus ); modern use of the current sense began in the mid 17th cent.