testamentary

[ tes-tuh-men-tuh-ree, -men-tree ]

/ ˌtɛs təˈmɛn tə ri, -ˈmɛn tri /

adjective

of, relating to, or of the nature of a testament or will.

given, bequeathed, done, or appointed by will.

set forth or contained in a will.

Nearby words

Sometimes tes·ta·men·tal [tes-tuh-men-tl] /ˌtɛs təˈmɛn tl/.

Origin of testamentary

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English word from Latin word testāmentārius. See testament, -ary

Related formsnon·tes·ta·men·ta·ry, adjectiveun·tes·ta·men·tal, adjectiveun·tes·ta·men·ta·ry, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for testamentary

The very people who put it down have become, as Karl Marx used to say, its testamentary executors.
The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844|Frederick Engels
In the tenth century this render is closely connected with the exercise of testamentary power.
Domesday Book and Beyond|Frederic William Maitland
One of these is the form of testamentary instructions by means of which the plot of a song is worked up to its climax.
Essays in the Study of Folk-Songs (1886)|Countess Evelyn Martinengo-Cesaresco
(b) Testamentary and in regard to succession from intestates.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 9|Various

Private property is to be retained, but its transmission by inheritance or testamentary disposition must be abolished.
Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol 6|Various

British Dictionary definitions for testamentary

testamentary

/ (ˌtɛstəˈmɛntərɪ) /

adjective

of or relating to a will or testament

derived from, bequeathed, or appointed by a will

contained or set forth in a will

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for testamentary

testamentary

adj.

mid-15c., from Latin testamentarius, from testamentum (see testament).