testament

American  

[tes-tuh-muhnt] / ˈtɛs tə mənt /

noun

1. Law.

   1. a will, especially one that relates to the disposition of one's personal property.

   2. will.

2. either of the two major portions of the Bible: the Mosaic or old covenant or dispensation, or the Christian or new covenant or dispensation.

3. (initial capital letter) the New Testament, as distinct from the Old Testament.

4. (initial capital letter) a copy of the New Testament.

5. a covenant, especially between God and humans.

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testament ¹ British  

/ ˈtɛstəmənt /

noun

1. law a will setting out the disposition of personal property (esp in the phrase last will and testament )

2. a proof, attestation, or tribute

   his success was a testament to his skills

3. 1. a covenant instituted between God and man, esp the covenant of Moses or that instituted by Christ

   2. a copy of either the Old or the New Testament, or of the complete Bible

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Testament ² British  

/ ˈtɛstəmənt /

noun

1. either of the two main parts of the Bible; the Old Testament or the New Testament

2. the New Testament as distinct from the Old

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Other Word Forms

• testamental adjective

Etymology

Origin of testament

1250–1300; Middle English: will, covenant < Latin testāmentum, equivalent to testā ( rī ) to bear witness ( testate ) + -mentum -ment

Example Sentences

He added that the King's Hall "will be a true testament to the impact of His Majesty on Dumfries House and the vital education and employment it provides."

From BBC

“It’s a testament to the mechanics and engineering that go into bringing a float like this down Colorado Boulevard.”

From Los Angeles Times

As Ms. Stalnaker points out, he was “a writer who proclaimed a series of last works, but whose actual last work defies easy categorization as a philosophical or literary testament.”

From The Wall Street Journal

There are only four negative marks on the table below, a testament to investors’ much-better-than-average year.

From Barron's

As Zoë Schlanger reported in The Atlantic last January, this “might look like a failure of modeling, but really, it’s a testament to how bad climate change has been permitted to get, and how quickly.”

From Salon

Related Words

• proof
• testimonial
• testimony