Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA 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).
nounOne 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.
Sentence Examples
He and a colleague who went to China later translated The New Testament into Chinese.
He read the entire Old Testament in one year.
Hitler prepared his final will and political testament.
The success of the project is a ____ to their hard work.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The success of the new project is a true ____ to the hard work and the dedication of the entire staff this year today.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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: