2172: try and trial Nov 25, 2020

Although it is a bit more old fashioned, the structure of "try and" rather than "try to" was seen to be more proper. Indeed, when considering the etymology of this word, it makes more sense. Though clearly the definition has shifted slightly, it originally meant 'test' or 'examine'. Notably, this developed basically oppositely to 'prove', which is now taken to mean 'establish(ed) through testing', but originally meant what 'try' means now. It is through this more formal sense of 'examination' rather than merely 'attempt' that the word 'trial' came to be.