The word 'tryout' is a modern American English compound, formed in the early 20th century from the phrasal verb 'to try out'. The verb 'try' entered English via Anglo-French with the core sense of separating or sifting to determine quality, a meaning preserved in legal contexts ('to try a case'). The adverbial particle 'out' is a native English word of ancient Germanic lineage, traceable to Proto-Indo-European úd ('upwards, away'). When combined, 'out' completes the action of 'trying', giving it a sense of finality or a finished test. Thus, a 'tryout' logically evolved from the concept of carrying a test through to its conclusion to determine fitness or suitability, perfectly capturing its modern use in sports and performance contexts.

Structure: try (to test) + out (completive particle) try: From Middle English 'trien', from Anglo-French 'trier' (to pick out, sift), of uncertain origin, possibly from Late Latin 'triare'. In this compound, it functions as the verb base meaning "to test or attempt". out: From Old English 'ūt', of Germanic origin. In this compound, it functions as a completive or resultative particle, indicating the action is carried through to a conclusion.