water ordeal
noun
: an ordeal (as of plunging a bare arm into boiling water) in which water is the testing agent and in which innocence or guilt is held to be proved (as by the condition of the arm) : an ordeal of casting an accused person bound hand and foot into a river or pond in which sinking or floating is taken as evidence respectively of innocence or guilt
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“Water ordeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20ordeal. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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