to make trial of one's powers

ex-pĕrĭor, pertus ( act. experiero, Varr. L. L. 8, 9, 24 dub.), 4, v. dep. a. [ex- and root per-; Sanscr. par-, pi-parmi, conduct; Gr. peraô, pass through; poros, passage; peira, experience; Lat. porta, portus, peritus, periculum; Germ. fahren, erfahren; Eng. fare, ferry], to try a thing; viz., either by way of testing or of attempting it.

To try, prove, put to the test.

In tempp. praes. constr. with the acc., a rel. clause, or absol.

With acc.:

habuisse aiunt domi (venenum), vimque ejus esse expertum in servo quodam ad eam rem ipsam parato,

Cic. Cael. 24, 58:

taciturnitatem nostram,

id. Brut. 65, 231:

amorem alicujus,

id. Att. 16, 16, C, 1:

his persuaserant, uti eandem belli fortunam experirentur,

Caes. B. G. 2, 16, 3:

judicium discipulorum,

Quint. 2, 5, 12:

in quo totas vires suas eloquentia experiretur,

id. 10, 1, 109:

imperium,

Liv. 2, 59, 4:

cervi cornua ad arbores subinde experientes,

Plin. 8, 32, 50, § 117 et saep.—

With a personal object: vin' me experiri?

make trial of me, Plaut. Merc. 4, 4, 29:

hanc experiamur,

Ter. Hec. 5, 2, 12 Ruhnk.:

tum se denique errasse sentiunt, cum eos (amicos) gravis aliquis casus experiri cogit,

Cic. Lael. 22, 84:

in periclitandis experiendisque pueris,

id. Div. 2, 46, 97.—So with se. reflex., to make trial of one's powers in any thing:

se heroo (versu),

Plin. Ep. 7, 4, 3 [p. 694] variis se studiorum generibus, id. ib. 9, 29, 1:

se in foro,

Quint. 12, 11, 16.—

With a rel.-clause, ut, etc.: vosne velit an me regnare era quidve ferat Fors, Virtute experiamur, Enn. ap. Cic. Off. 1, 12, 38 (Ann. v. 204, ed. Vahl.):

lubet experiri, quo evasuru'st denique,

Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 93:

experiri libet, quantum audeatis,

Liv. 25, 38, 11; cf. Nep. Alcib. 1, 1:

in me ipso experior, ut exalbescam, etc.,

Cic. de Or. 1, 26, 121; cf. with si:

expertique simul, si tela artusque sequantur,

Val. Fl. 5, 562.—

Absol.:

experiendo magis quam discendo cognovi,

Cic. Fam. 1, 7, 10:

judicare difficile est sane nisi expertum: experiendum autem est in ipsa amicitia: ita praecurrit amicitia judicium tollitque experiendi potestatem,

id. Lael. 17, 62.—

In the tempp. perf., to have tried, tested, experienced, i. e. to find or know by experience:

benignitatem tuam me experto praedicas,

Plaut. Merc. 2, 2, 18:

omnia quae dico de Plancio, dico expertus in nobis,

Cic. Planc. 9, 22:

experti scire debemus, etc.,

id. Mil. 26, 69:

illud tibi expertus promitto,

id. Fam. 13, 9, 3:

dicam tibi, Catule, non tam doctus, quam, id quod est majus, expertus,

id. de Or. 2, 17, 72:

puellae jam virum expertae,

Hor. C. 3, 14, 11; 4, 4, 3; cf. Quint. 6, 5, 7:

mala captivitatis,

Sulp. Sev. 2, 22, 5:

id opera expertus sum esse ita,

Plaut. Bacch. 3, 2, 3:

expertus sum prodesse,

Quint. 2, 4, 13:

expertus, juvenem praelongos habuisse sermones,

id. 10, 3, 32:

ut frequenter experti sumus,

id. 1, 12, 11.—

Rarely in other tenses: et exorabile numen Fortasse experiar,

may find, Juv. 13, 103.—

To make trial of, in a hostile sense, to measure strength with, to contend with:

ut interire quam Romanos non experiri mallet,

Nep. Ham. 4, 3:

maritimis moribus mecum experitur,

Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 11:

ipsi duces cominus invicem experti,

Flor. 3, 21, 7; 4, 10, 1; cf.:

hos cum Suevi, multis saepe bellis experti, finibus expellere non potuissent,

Caes. B. G. 4, 3, 4:

Turnum in armis,

Verg. A. 7, 434.

To undertake, to attempt, to make trial of, undergo, experience a thing.

In gen.:

qui desperatione debilitati experiri id nolent, quod se assequi posse diffidant. Sed par est omnes omnia experiri, qui, etc.,

Cic. Or. 1, 4; cf.:

istuc primum experiar,

Plaut. Truc. 2, 7, 47:

omnia experiri certum est, priusquam pereo,

Ter. And. 2, 1, 11:

omnia prius quam, etc.,

Caes. B. G. 7, 78, 1:

extrema omnia,

Sall. C. 26, 5; cf.

also: sese omnia de pace expertum,

Caes. B. C. 3, 57, 2:

libertatem,

i. e. to make use of, enjoy, Sall. J. 31, 5:

late fusum opus est et multiplex, etc.... dicere experiar,

Quint. 2, 13, 17:

quod quoniam me saepius rogas, aggrediar, non tam perficiundi spe quam experiundi voluntate,

Cic. Or. 1, 2.—With ut and subj.:

nunc si vel periculose experiundum erit, experiar certe, ut hinc avolem,

Cic. Att. 9, 10, 3:

experiri, ut sine armis propinquum ad officium reduceret,

Nep. Dat. 2, 3.—

In partic., jurid. t. t., to try or test by law, to go to law:

aut intra parietes aut summo jure experietur,

Cic. Quint. 11, 38; cf.:

in jus vocare est juris experiundi causa vocare,

Dig. 2, 4, 1; 47, 8, 4:

a me diem petivit: ego experiri non potui: latitavit,

Cic. Quint. 23, 75; Liv. 40, 29, 11:

sua propria bona malaque, cum causae dicendae data facultas sit, tum se experturum,

Liv. 3, 56, 10:

postulare ut judicium populi Romani experiri (liceat),

id. ib. —Hence,

expĕrĭens, entis, P. a. (acc. to II.), experienced, enterprising, active, industrious (class.):

homo gnavus et industrius, experientissimus ac diligentissimus arator,

Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 21, § 53:

promptus homo et experiens,

id. ib. 2, 4, 17, §

37: vir fortis et experiens,

id. Clu. 8, 23:

vir acer et experiens,

Liv. 6, 34, 4:

comes experientis Ulixei,

Ov. M. 14, 159:

ingenium,

id. Am. 1, 9, 32. —With gen.:

genus experiens laborum,

inured to, patient of, Ov. M. 1, 414:

rei militaris experientissimi duces,

Arn. 2, 38 init.; cf. Vulg. 2 Macc. 8, 9.— Comp. appears not to occur.—

expertus, a, um, P. a. (acc. to I.), in pass. signif., tried, proved, known by experience (freq. after the Aug. per.):

vir acer et pro causa plebis expertae virtutis,

Liv. 3, 44, 3:

per omnia expertus,

id. 1, 34, 12:

indignitates homines expertos,

id. 24, 22, 2:

dulcedo libertatis,

id. 1, 17, 3:

industria,

Suet. Vesp. 4:

artes,

Tac. A. 3, 17: saevitia, Prop. 1, 3, 18:

confidens ostento sibi expertissimo,

Suet. Tib. 19.—With gen.:

expertos belli juvenes,

Verg. A. 10, 173; cf. Tac. H. 4, 76.— Comp. and adv. appear not to occur.