Adjacent Words

Testament definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TEST'AMENT, n. [L. testamentum, from testor, to make a will.]
1. A solemn authentic instrument in writing, by which a person declares his will as to the disposal of his estate and effects after his death. This is otherwise called a will. A testament,to be valid, must be made when the testator is of sound mind, and it must be subscribed, witnessed and published in such manner as the law prescribes.
A man in certain cases may make a valid will by words only, and such will is called nuncupative.
2. The name of each general division of the canonical books of the sacred Scriptures; as the Old Testament; the New Testament. The name is equivalent to covenant, and in our use of it, we apply it to the books which contain the old and new dispensations; that of Moses, and that of Jesus Christ.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a profession of belief; "he stated his political testament"
2: a legal document declaring a person's wishes regarding the disposal of their property when they die [syn: will, testament]
3: strong evidence for something; "his easy victory was a testament to his skill"
4: either of the two main parts of the Christian Bible

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin testamentum covenant with God, holy scripture, from Latin, last will, from testari to be a witness, call to witness, make a will, from testis witness; akin to Latin tres three & to Latin stare to stand; from the witness's standing by as a third party in a litigation — more at three, stand Date: 14th century 1. a. archaic a covenant between God and the human race b. capitalized either of two main divisions of the Bible 2. a. a tangible proof or tribute b. an expression of conviction ; creed 3. a. an act by which a person determines the disposition of his or her property after death b. will • testamentary adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a will (esp. last will and testament). 2 (usu. foll. by to) evidence, proof (is testament to his loyalty). 3 Bibl. a a covenant or dispensation. b (Testament) a division of the Christian Bible (see Old Testament, New Testament). c (Testament) a copy of the New Testament. Etymology: ME f. L testamentum will (as TESTATE): in early Christian L rendering Gk diatheke covenant

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Nuncupative Nun*cu"pa*tive, a. [L. nuncupativus nominal: cf. F. nuncupatif.] 1. Publicly or solemnly declaratory. [Obs.] 2. Nominal; existing only in name. [Obs.] 3. Oral; not written. Nuncupative will or testament, a will or testament made by word of mouth only, before witnesses, as by a soldier or seaman, and depending on oral testimony for proof. --Blackstone.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Testament Tes"ta*ment, n. [F., fr. L. testamentum, fr. testari to be a witness, to make one's last will, akin to testis a witness. Cf. Intestate, Testify.] 1. (Law) A solemn, authentic instrument in writing, by which a person declares his will as to disposal of his estate and effects after his death. Note: This is otherwise called a will, and sometimes a last will and testament. A testament, to be valid, must be made by a person of sound mind; and it must be executed and published in due form of law. A man, in certain cases, may make a valid will by word of mouth only. See Nuncupative will, under Nuncupative. 2. One of the two distinct revelations of God's purposes toward man; a covenant; also, one of the two general divisions of the canonical books of the sacred Scriptures, in which the covenants are respectively revealed; as, the Old Testament; the New Testament; -- often limited, in colloquial language, to the latter. He is the mediator of the new testament . . . for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament. --Heb. ix. 15. Holographic testament, a testament written wholly by the testator himself. --Bouvier.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(testaments) 1. If one thing is a testament to another, it shows that the other thing exists or is true. (FORMAL) Braka's house, just off Sloane Square, is a testament to his Gothic tastes... = testimony N-VAR: usu N to n 2. Someone's last will and testament is the most recent will that they have made, especially the last will that they make before they die. (LEGAL) PHRASE: Ns inflect, usu with poss 3. see also New Testament, Old Testament

Easton's Bible Dictionary

occurs twelve times in the New Testament (Heb. 9:15, etc.) as the rendering of the Gr. diatheke, which is twenty times rendered "covenant" in the Authorized Version, and always so in the Revised Version. The Vulgate translates incorrectly by testamentum, whence the names "Old" and "New Testament," by which we now designate the two sections into which the Bible is divided. (See BIBLE.)

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

tes'-ta-ment: The word diatheke, almost invariably rendered "covenant," was rendered in the King James Version "testament" in Heb 9:16,17, in the sense of a will to dispose of property after the maker's death. It is not easy to find justification for the retention of this translation in the Revised Version (British and American), "especially in a book which is so impregnated with the language of the Septuagint as the Epistle to the Hebrews" (Hatch).

See COVENANT, IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Will, last will and testament.