testament English · revision 10238

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1290|origins=la testamentum|origins=ine-pro *tris-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈtɛs.tə.mənt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English, [[bor|la|testamentum|t=a last will]], from testārī, to make a will, bear witness, from testis, witness,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) generally taken to be from *tri-st-i-, a third person standing by, from the root of [[three]], meaning a disinterested witness.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) In Christian Latin testamentum also translated Greek [[m|grc|διαθήκη|tr=diathḗkē|t=covenant; will]].^(MWU 2024)^(NODE 1998)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A last will disposing of property: about 1290 in Barnhart, the late 13th century in Etymonline; the OED's first quotation is from 1306.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Because Greek diathēkē meant both covenant and will, Late Latin testamentum confused the two;^(Etymonline) in English the covenant between God and mankind is found from the early 14th century (before 1300 in the OED),^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and the word was then understood as Christ's last will.^(Etymonline) The two divisions of the Bible are called testaments from the 13th century.^(Hoad 1986) A figurative bequest is from about 1400,^(OED 1989) and in Scots law, from 1526, a testament is the writing that names an executor.^(OED 1989) The sense of tangible proof or evidence, as in ''a testament to his skill'', is a modern extension.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1290 – a last will.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * before 1300 – a covenant between God and humankind.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1400 – figurative use.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1526 – a testament in Scots law.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Something that serves as clear proof or evidence: ''a testament to her courage''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A statement of beliefs; a [[creed]].^(AHD)

+ # ''(law)'' A [[will]] disposing of a person's property after death.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Either of the two main parts of the [[Bible]], the Old and the New Testament.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A [[covenant]] between God and humankind.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[testamentary]]

+ * [[New Testament]]

+ * [[Old Testament]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[intestate]]

+ * [[testate]]

+ * [[testator]]

+ * [[testify]]

+ * [[testimonial]]

+ * [[testimony]]

+ * [[attest]]

+ * [[protest]]

+ * [[contest]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}