(British English,informal)a lesson or an exam in science or technology in which students have to do or make things, not just read or write about thema biology practicalThe second part of the exam is a three-hour practical.I passed the written exam but failed the practical.The course involves lectures, demonstrations and practicals.Wordfinderexamcandidate,exam,grade,invigilate,mark,oral,paper,practical,resit,reviseOxford Collocations Dictionaryadjectivechemistry,physics,etc.,…verb + practicalsit,take,fail,…Seefull entrySee related entries:Exams and assessmentWord Originlate 16th cent.: from archaic practic ‘practical’ (from Old French practique, via late Latin from Greek praktikos ‘concerned with action’, from prattein ‘do, act’) + -al.
