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Testament

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tes⋅ta⋅ment

  [tes-tuh-muhnt]
Use Testament in a Sentence
–noun
1. Law.
a. a will, esp. one that relates to the disposition of one's personal property.
b. will 2 (def. 8).
2. either of the two major portions of the Bible: the Mosaic or old covenant or dispensation, or the Christian or new covenant or dispensation.
3. (initial capital letter) the New Testament, as distinct from the Old Testament.
4. (initial capital letter) a copy of the New Testament.
5. a covenant, esp. between God and humans.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME: will, covenant < L testāmentum, equiv. to testā(rī) to bear witness (see testate ) + -mentum -ment
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tes·ta·ment   (těs'tə-mənt)   
n.  

  1. Something that serves as tangible proof or evidence: The spacious plan of the city is a testament to the foresight of its founders.

  2. A statement of belief; a credo: my political testament.

  3. Law A written document providing for the disposition of a person's property after death; a will.

  4. Testament Bible Either of the two main divisions of the Bible.

  5. Archaic A covenant between humans and God.


[Middle English, a will, from Latin testāmentum, from testārī, to make a will, from testis, witness; see trei- in Indo-European roots.]
tes'ta·men'tar·y (-měn'tə-rē, -měn'trē) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

testament 
c.1290, "last will disposing of property," from L. testamentum "a will, publication of a will," from testari "make a will, be witness to," from testis "witness," from PIE *tris- "three," on the notion of "third person, disinterested witness." Use in reference to the two divisions of the Bible (c.1300) is from L.L. vetus testamentum and novum testamentum, loan-translations of Gk. palaia diatheke and kaine diatheke. L.L. testamentum in this case was a mistranslation of Gk. diatheke, which meant both "covenant, dispensation" and "will, testament," and was used in the former sense in the account of the Last Supper (see testimony) but subsequently was interpreted as Christ's "last will."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: tes·ta·ment
Pronunciation: 'tes-t&-m&nt
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin testamentum, from testari to call as a witness, make a will, from testis witness
1 : an act by which a person determines the disposition of his or her property after death testament of property>
2 : WILL
NOTE: A testament was formerly concerned specifically with personal property, as in the phrase last will and testament. Now a will covers both personal and real property and the terms will and testament are generally synonymous, but the phrase lives on. —tes·ta·men·ta·ry /"tes-t&-'men-t&-rE/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bible Dictionary

Testament

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.)

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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