testament

plural testaments

1. lawA 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).

   Synonyms: will, last will and testament, last will

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.

   His remarkable recovery is a testament to the doctor's skill.

   3 more examples

   The ancient aqueducts are a testament to the great engineering skill of the Roman Empire.

   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.

   1976 August 28, Steven Blevins, “Ads and Beauty Contests”, in Gay Community News, volume 4, number 9, page 4

   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.

   2015 August 12, Todd Leopold, “Return to the ‘City That Care Forgot’”, in CNN, archived from the original on 02 Jan 2022

   Synonyms: testimony

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.

present singular third person testaments · participle present testamenting · participle past testamented · past testamented

1. intransitiveTo make a will.
2. transitiveTo bequeath or leave by will.