Water ordeal
Same as Ordeal by water. See the Note under Ordeal, n., 1.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), edited by Noah Porter.
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Water Ordeal
An ancient form of trial, now abolished, by which the accused, tied band and foot, were cast into cold water, and if they did not sink they were deemed innocent or they were compelled to plunge their limbs into hot water, and if they came out unhurt they were considered innocent.
This entry contains material from Bouvier's Legal Dictionary, a work published in the 1850's.
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