testament

nounverbcommon in dialogue

United Kingdom//ˈtɛs.tə.mənt//
Australia//ˈtes.tə.mənt//

A solemn, authentic instrument in writing, by which a person declares his or her will as to disposal of his or her inheritance (estate and effects) after his or her death, benefiting specified heir(s).

noun

1
A solemn, authentic instrument in writing, by which a person declares his or her will as to disposal of his or her inheritance (estate and effects) after his or her death, benefiting specified heir(s).
2
One of the two parts to the scriptures of the Christian religion: the New Testament, considered by Christians to be a continuation of the Hebrew scriptures, and the Hebrew scriptures themselves, which they refer to as the Old Testament.
3
A tangible proof or tribute.
The ancient aqueducts are a testament to the great engineering skill of the Roman Empire.
His remarkable recovery is a testament to the doctor's skill.
These ads are a sad testament to the paper's attitude toward gay men, and a disheartening indication of the direction GCN may be going.
The phrase was, and remains, a double-edged sword: a testament to the hard-working and hard-living citizens of the Crescent City and an indicator of the “ah, whatever” shrug hanging over its corrupt politics, its ramshackle infrastructure and its belief that partying trumps all.
4
A credo, expression of conviction.
The prime minister's speech was a glowing testament to the cabinet's undying commitment to the royal cause.

Etymology

From Middle English testament, from Old French testament, from Latin testāmentum (“the publication of a will, a will, testament, in Late Latin one of the divisions of the Bible”), from testor (“to be a witness, testify, attest, make a will”), from testis (“one who attests, a witness”). Displaced native Old English ġecȳþnes.

verb

1
To make a will.
2
To bequeath or leave by will.

Forms

plural: testaments
past tense: testamented
past participle: testamented
present participle: testamenting
third person singular: testaments

Tessa · A diminutive of the female given name Teresa, from Ancient…test · A challenge, trial.Test · A Test match.

testament · A solemn, authentic instrument in writing, by which a person declares his or her will as to disposal of his or her inheritance (estate and effects)…

testify · To make a declaration, or give evidence, under oath.testimony · Statements made by a witness in court.testing · Difficult; tough.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.