testn.1
/tɛst/, U.S. /tɛst/ 1. originally. The cupel used in treating gold or silver alloys or ore; now esp. the cupel, with the iron frame or basket which contains it, forming the movable hearth of a reverberatory furnace: see cupel n.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > furnace or kiln > furnace > parts of furnace > [noun] > vessels
crossletc1386
testc1386
cruciblea1475
spoon1496
melting pot1545
cruset1558
fining pot1560
hooker1594
cupel1605
crusoile1613
crisol1622
melt pot1637
muffle1644
crevet1658
coffin1686
sand-pot1758
Hessian crucible1807
pan1839
shank1843
casting-pot1846
king pot1862
converter1867
washpot1879
society > occupation and work > equipment > furnace or kiln > furnace > parts of furnace > [noun] > hearth or floor of furnace > movable
test1555
test-bottom1853
cupel1862
c1386 G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Prol. & Tale 265 Of oure siluer citrinacion..Oure yngottes testes and many mo.
1552 in P. H. Hore Wexford (1901) II. 237 Of 1031 lbs. weight of lead they had from the taest 14 lbs. weight of silver.
1555 R. Eden tr. V. Biringucci Pyrotechnia in tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 339 Meltynge it [gold] in a fornace in a bayne or teste of leade.
1594 H. Plat Jewell House 36 Get a large panne, such as they make their testes of bone ashes in.
1622 G. de Malynes Consuetudo 281 The Copple or Teast doth drinke in some two penny weight of Siluer with the Lead.
1674 J. Ray Smelting Silver in Coll. Eng. Words 9 The test is of an oval figure, and occupies all the bottom of the furnace.
1758 A. Reid tr. P. J. Macquer Elements Theory & Pract. Chym. I. 315 Put one half of this Lead into a test, and spread it equally thereon.
1853 A. Ure Dict. Arts (ed. 4) II. 657 The bed or bottom of the furnace, when in operation, is formed by a shallow elliptical vessel, called a test or test-bottom.
1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. 2535/2 The test is fixed as a cupeling-hearth in the reverberatory furnace.
2. † b. A proof, sample, specimen. Obsolete. rare.
a. That by which the existence, quality, or genuineness of anything is or may be determined; ‘means of trial’ (Johnson); hence, in phrases to bring or put to the test, to bear or stand the test, the testing or trial of the quality of anything; examination, trial, proof.(Cf. )
1651 J. French Art Distillation v. 138 Prove this tree at the test, and it yeeldeth good gold.
1661 T. Blount Glossographia (ed. 2) (at cited word) A broad instrument..on which Refiners do fine, refine and part gold and silver from other Mettals, or (as we use to say) put them to the Test.
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the mind > attention and judgement > testing > [noun]
fandingc1000
taste1377
experimenta1382
experience1393
probationc1422
trial1526
test1594
verification1603
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > try, test [verb (transitive)]
cuneOE
afondOE
found1340
searcha1382
experiment1481
experience1541
probe1542
try1545
invent1548
sound1589
to bring or put to the test1594
plumb1599
to feel out1600
essay1656
test1748
plumb-line1875
to try out1888
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > trial, test, or testing > [noun]
fandingc1000
costningOE
assay1330
say?c1335
assayingc1375
experimenta1382
proofc1390
experience1393
tastinga1400
probationc1422
probe?a1425
approof1436
fraistingc1440
examination?1510
saying1512
approving1523
trial1526
test1594
approbationa1616
trya1616
proval1622
tempting1623
probatea1643
experimental1659
testinga1834
1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller sig. G2 A delicate wench..which I would faine haue had to the grand test, to trie whether she were currant in alcumie or no.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. iv. 133 It is not madnesse That I haue vttred, bring me to the test . View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iv. i. 7 Thou Hast strangely stood the test . View more context for this quotation
1754 Earl of Chatham Lett. to Nephew (1804) iv. 25 The noblest sentiment of the human breast is here brought to the test.
1813 H. Davy Elements Agric. Chem. i. 10 Simple tests of the relative nourishing powers of the different species of food.
1838 G. P. R. James Robber I. iv. 72 I will not put them to the test.
1873 J. A. Symonds Stud. Greek Poets iii. 89 Time, says Theognis, and experience and calamity are the true tests of friendship.
1904 Nicholson Keltic Researches Pref. 4 Even as between the Irishman and the Welshman, the language-test is not a race-test.
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the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > an individual case or instance > [noun] > exemplifying some rule, activity, quality, etc. > serving to confirm or illustrate
samplec1380
experimenta1530
experimental1664
test1773
exampling1881
1773 J. Hawkesworth Acct. Voy. Southern Hemisphere II. ii. iii. 328 Rather satisfied with having given a test of their courage by twice insulting a vessel so much superior to their own, than intimidated by the shot.
c. Cricket and Rugby. Short for test match n. at Compounds 2. In South African usage, an international match in any of a wide range of games and sports, including Rugby.
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society > leisure > sport > match or competition > [noun] > types of
all comersc1450
after-gamea1500
fore-game1594
revenge1616
plate1639
set-to1743
return match1753
bye1754
scrub-race1791
anybody's game (also race, match)1826
return1834
barney1843
bonspiel1858
handicap1861
pennant1865
home-and-home1868
benefit match1871
run-off1873
international1877
American tournament1878
Grand Prix1879
single1884
friendly1885
all-comers1889
pair1890
championship1893
round robin1894
replay1895
Olympiad1896
junior varsity1902
lightning tournament1903
rematch1903
road trip1903
pickup1905
freestyle1906
marathon1908
test1908
Derby1909
scrimmage1910
eliminator1911
twosome1911
triala1914
quadrangular1916
slug-fest1916
varsity match1921
needle contest1922
curtain jerker1923
needle match1923
open1926
needle fight1927
knock-out1928
shirt1930
masters1933
pro-amateur1934
tune-up1934
World Cup1934
pro-am1937
state1941
sizzler1942
runathon1943
mismatch1954
run-out1955
match-up1959
squeaker1961
triple-header1961
Super Bowl1967
invitational1968
needle game1970
major1976
slobberknocker1986
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > [noun] > cricket-match > types of match
county match1748
test match1857
bowler's (or bowlers') match1863
goose match1885
cricket test1907
test1908
runathon1932
one-dayer1985
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > rugby football > [noun] > type of match
test match1857
test1933
1908 Westm. Gaz. 16 Jan. 7/1 England is now a game to the bad, and there are only two more ‘Tests’ to play.
1909 Westm. Gaz. 6 Sept. 10/4 We are to play sixteen matches in all, including five Tests.
1933 M. Nicholls in I. D. Difford Hist. S. Afr. Rugby Football xxiv. 336 In the first Test we won 16 scrums to their 36.
1934 Bulletin (Sydney) 2 May 25/1 He was especially sure..that the tourists had Buckley's hope of winning a Test.
1954 R. T. Gabe in Wooller & Owen Fifty Years of All Blacks i. 14 We travelled over land and a rough sea..to play a Test in Wellington..to lose by 9 points to 3.
1955 Times 5 Aug. 4/1 Evans, the Kent wicketkeeper for whom McIntyre deputized in the Leeds Test, will not play again this season.
1971 Rand Daily Mail (Johannesburg) 4 Sept. 24/7 A series of diving Tests have been arranged against Rhodesia.
1972 Daily Tel. 14 Dec. 35/5 A week off before an international, or Test as we call them, is preferable to a mid-week match [New Zealander loq.].
3. That by which beliefs or opinions, esp. in religion, are tested or tried; spec. the oaths or declarations prescribed by the Test Act n. of 1673; esp. in phrase to take the test; also, either of the test acts.
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society > faith > church government > kinds of church government > establishmentarianism > [noun] > test
test1665
Test Act1708
test-oath1715
1665 Orig. Jrnls. House of Lords 31 Oct. 51 319 We haue prepared a Shiboleth, a Test to distinguish amongst them, who..giue hopes of future Conformity, and who of..euill disposition remain obdurate.
1672–3 in Grey's Deb. Ho. Comm. 12 Mar. II. 97 [Mr. Harwood] Tendered a proviso for renouncing the doctrine of transubstantiation for a farther test.
1675 Cal. State Papers, Domest., Chas. II 10 May 112 The Test as now agreed on:—I, A. B., do declare [etc.].
1682 in Sc. Antiquary (1901) July 4 One of the late regentis..having demurred to take the test apoynted by act of parliament.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 654 The King..had declared that he would be served by none but those who would vote for the repeal of the Tests.
1789 Constitution U.S. vi, in archives.gov (accessed 18 Dec. 2019) No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office.
1797 J. Hey Lect. Divinity II. iii. xiv. §15. 155 A Man is deemed a Member of the Church of England, who takes the Sacrament according to the usage of the Church of England, and declares against Transubstantiation; from whence the Tests are called sacramental tests.
1889 Pall Mall Gaz. 3 July 2/2 The Government promised last night to abolish tests in the case of the ‘lay chairs’ in the Scotch universities.
1906 H. Paul in 19th Cent. May 717 The belief in tests ought to be dead as the belief in witches.
4.
a. Chemistry. The action or process of examining a substance under known conditions in order to determine its identity or that of one of its constituents; also, a substance by means of which this may be done.
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the world > matter > chemistry > chemical tests > [noun]
test1806
1806 W. Henry Epitome Chem. (ed. 4) ii. i. 309 The readiest method of judging of the contents of natural waters, is by applying what are termed tests, or re-agents.
1812 H. Davy Elements Chem. Philos. 27 Boyle..introduced the use of tests or reagents, active substances for detecting the presence of other bodies.
1854 J. Scoffern in Orr's Circle Sci., Chem. 479 Arseniuretted hydrogen..employed, as a means of removing and discovering arsenic, is called Marsh's test.
1900 Briggs & Stewart Inorg. Chem. Gen. Direct. The student is advised to learn the tests for each metal and acid.
1900 W. A. Shenstone Elem. Inorg. Chem. xxv. §396 A solution of baryta affords us a most delicate test for carbon dioxide.
b. Mechanics, etc. The action by which the physical properties of substances, materials, machines, etc. are tested, in order to determine their ability to satisfy particular requirements.Among these are bending test, compressive test., drop test., tensile test., transverse test., etc.; also with noun in objective relation, as boiler test, brake test, engine test; also road test n.
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the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > trial, test, or testing > [noun] > specific tests or testing > test of materials or equipment
test1877
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > trial, test, or testing > [noun] > specific tests or testing > test of materials or equipment > other specific tests of materials or equipment
pressure test1859
tensile test1877
smoke test1886
torsion test1891
shock test1904
fatigue test1905
screen test1905
fatigue testing1908
shock-testing1917
1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. 2539 Observations are made at short intervals..until the test is closed by rapid heating..and excessive increase of friction.
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 888 The machine requires but little change for making tests in compression.
1894 W. J. Lineham Text-bk. Mech. Engin. 376 The straining cylinder, having water admitted beneath its piston for tensile, and above it for compressive tests.
1904 Kent's Mech. Engin. Pocket Bk. (1910) 282 In Transverse tests the strength of bars of rectangular section is found to vary directly as the breadth of the specimen tested, as the square of its depth, and inversely as its length.
1904 Kent's Mech. Engin. Pocket Bk. (1910) 864 Competitive tests were made of fourteen boilers.
1956 Amer. Polit. Sci. Rev. 50 974 Regulatory measures are obviously needed against wars and weapon tests; and they are essential to the disposition of nuclear waste from industrial plants.
1958 Economist 8 Nov. 481/2 Russia is trying to make the West agree to a ban on tests.
1968 Listener 13 June 787/3 The annual MoT test could incorporate a check on noise, and any vehicle which had become noisier..than its original design limits would fail the test.
1976 Star (Sheffield) 30 Nov. 12/6 Up to £50 paid for scrap and test failure cars and vans.
c. The process or an instance of testing the academic, mental, physiological, or other qualities and conditions of a human subject; in academic and similar contexts usually implying a simpler, less formal procedure than an examination; frequently as the second element in a collocation or combination denoting a particular kind of test, or used contextually to imply one of these.A number of other collocations and combinations will be found under the first element, as aptitude test n. at aptitude n. Compounds, blood test n., breath test n., intelligence test n., means test n., mental test n. at mental adj.1 and n. Compounds, test performance n. at Compounds 1e, pregnancy test n. at pregnancy n.1 Compounds 3, screen test n., skin test n. at skin n. Compounds 5, spot test n. at spot n.1 and adv. Compounds 5.
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the mind > attention and judgement > testing > [noun] > method of
solvitur ambulando1852
quiz1867
test1910
society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun]
examination1421
examen1612
probation1645
trial1672
exam1837
mug1853
special1890
mid-year1895
periodical1897
test1910
assessment1956
1910 G. M. Whipple Man. Mental & Physical Tests 278 There are marked differences in the amount of work (number of additions) done..e.g., in Binet's tests, from 40 to 96 numbers.
1918 E. S. Farrow Dict. Mil. Terms 473 Proficiency test, in target practice, the annual test conducted to determine the proficiency of organizations in collective marksmanship.
1927 Psychol. Bull. 24 419 A battery containing a mixture of intelligence and personality tests was used by Gallup.
1928 Sunday Disp. 22 July 4/2 He had had a film test, at the conclusion of which he was told that he filmed remarkably well.
1933 Punch 13 Dec. 662/1 Reasonable plea for a driving-test was put forward by Lord Howe.
a1935 T. E. Lawrence Mint (1955) ii. xxii. 158 So I dodge the last weeks of depot training and the orgy of fitness-tests with which it closes.
1941 B. Schulberg What makes Sammy Run? xi. 198 I'm getting fed up with these floosies you're always promising..a day's work or a test [i.e. a screen test].
1955 E. H. Clements Discord in Air xi. 149 Mummy always drives. I haven't taken my test yet.
1959 Psychol. Rev. 66 62/2 Using a pass-fail scoring on all eighteen tests, the test-subject matrix was 91.8 per cent reproducible.
1960 News Chron. 16 June 6/1 The breathalyser test is favoured by many.
1968 Scottish Daily Mail 16 July 2/1 The questionnaire is a tongue-in-cheek parody of the IQ tests which the U.S. Government gives would-be employees.
d. Australian and New Zealand a test for the proportion of butter fat in milk.
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the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > dairy farming > [noun] > tests on animal or produce
herd-testing1911
test1928
phosphatase test1933
herd-test1962
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation of dairy produce > [noun] > churning butter > butter-fat test
test1928
1928 Bulletin (Sydney) 14 Mar. 32/1 ‘You should be proud of her,’ said I... ‘My oath I am!’ he made reply—‘She gives an eight-five test!’
1950 N.Z. Jrnl. Agric. Mar. 270/2 Several [milk] cans can be filled at the same time so that the tests of all cans are, as far as practicable, identical.
1966 G. W. Turner Eng. Lang. in Austral. & N.Z. iii. 45 A cow with ‘a good test’, that is, milk rich in butter~fat, may be more valuable than another cow that gives more milk.
5. Microscopy. A test object: see Compounds 2.
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the world > life > biology > laboratory analysis > material > [noun] > test object, etc.
test object1830
test1832
tester1925
test-cross1934
1832 Goring in Pritchard Microsc. Cabinet xviii. 175 A test is an object which serves to render sensible both the perfection and imperfection of an instrument, as to defining and penetrating power.
1837 C. R. Goring & A. Pritchard Micrographia 160 A..representation of an excellent and very beautiful test, a feather from the wing of Morpho Menelaüs, (being the first object in which I observed the very remarkable property of the lines as tests).
6. An apparatus for determining the flashpoint of hydrocarbon oils.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > oil and natural gas recovery equipment > [noun] > device for determining flash-point of oil
test1877
1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Test,..4. An apparatus for proving petroleum and similar hydrocarbon oils by ascertaining the temperature at which they evolve explosive vapours.
Phrases
to stand (bear, etc.) the test of time: to continue to be good, popular, etc., over a long period of time.
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1639 C. Allen tr. Pope Pius II Hist. Eurialus & Lucretia 46 My heart hath beene prooved true to you by the Test of time.]
1685 J. Northleigh Triumph Monarchy i. 132 The right of an Heir to three Kingdoms..has been practis'd so long, and born the test of Time.
1697 F. Gastrell Certainty & Necessity Relig. 42 This is what has constantly, in all Ages, satisfied both the Learned and the Thoughtful, and stood the Test of Time, and Sophistry, and Malice.
1769 Summer-day 72 Friendship's sweets, the test of time abide!
1820 W. Irving Sketch Bk. II. 148 Invaluable maxims which have borne the test of time.
1877 E. E. Morris Age of Anne xvi. 144 The proof of the goodness of political work is the way that it stands the test of time.
2011 J. P. Turpin in K. Newlin Oxf. Handbk. Amer. Literary Naturalism xii. 218 Stories which are categorized as good, which stand the test of time..must have some superior adaptive benefit.
Compounds
General attributive. C1. General combinations: ‘of or pertaining to a test’, ‘taken, done, or made as a test’.
a. (In sense 2a.)
test-bar n.
test-ground n.
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1890 Tablet 5 July 14 A test-ground for the historian.
test-log n. (log n.1 7).
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1904 Electr. World & Engineer 9 Jan. 90 (Cent. Dict. Suppl.) A typical test-log upon a 550-hp engine.
test-plaster n.
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1897 Daily News 19 Jan. 3/6 Continued movement of the front is manifested by the cracking of test plaster put in the fractured groining..six months ago.
test question n.
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1867 J. W. Hales in J. W. Hales & F. J. Furnivall Bp. Percy's Folio MS I. 247 The test question put to the page before the assignation is disclosed.
test-room n.
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1905 Westm. Gaz. 20 Sept. 8/1 The methods of the test~room are being applied..to the degree of moisture quicker methods involve.
test-run n.
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1877 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 302 A test-run made upon about three tons showed it to contain 51 ounces of silver and 41 per cent. of lead per ton.
test-sentence n.
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1901 R. Kipling Kim x, in McClure's Mag. June 186/2 Kim repeated the test-sentence.
1977 Word 28 104 There were 15 test sentences in the battery in which the English strongly suggested the use of a diminutive ending in Gaelic.
test symptom n.
test-tree n.
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1883 G. M. Hopkins Further Lett. (1956) 323 This was the sin of Adam and Eve, who, both in different ways, eat of the ‘Test-tree’.
test-valve n.
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1910 Westm. Gaz. 19 Jan. 4/2 She wanted to test the gas at the purifier..but found the test-valve choked.
test-work n.
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1895 Daily News 19 Feb. 9/2 Service in relieving distress..by means of carefully-planned test-work.
b. (In sense 2c.)
test batsman n.
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1976 E. R. Dexter & C. Makins Testkill 139 The Test batsman, even after net practice, is still forced to use the first few overs in the middle as a warm-up.
test captain n.
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1975 Cricketer May 8/1 Ian Michael Chappell, the activist of Test captains, has led Australia in 26 Tests in four countries.
test cricket n.
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1931 J. B. Hobbs (title) Playing for England! My test-cricket story.
test cricketer n.
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1959 M. Gilbert Blood & Judgement iii. 36 In September a test cricketer was still news.
test team n.
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1955 Radio Times 22 Apr. 31/2 The Test Team arrived in this country at the beginning of the week.
test trial n.
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1977 Daily Mirror 10 May 31/1 The MCC team to play Australia at Lord's from May 25–27, due to be announced later this week and traditionally a Test trial, might still be very different to the one originally pencilled in.
c. (In sense 3.)
test-formula n.
test-law n.
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society > law > types of laws > [noun] > concerning religion
Bloody Statutea1648
Five-mile Act1672
Corporation Act1679
test-law1687
Bill of Toleration1692
Test Act1708
Schism Act1733
Schism Bill1733
penal codea1777
Veto Act1835
1687 Reasons to Move Protest. Dissenters 3 You cannot say it is a Divine Law that requir'd the Parliament to make this Test-Law... To abolish the Test-Laws therefore is Lawful.
test-man n.
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society > faith > church government > kinds of church government > establishmentarianism > [noun] > test > supporter of
tester1661
test-monger1687
test-mana1692
a1692 T. Shadwell Volunteers (1693) iii. i. 26 A furious Agitator and Test-man.
test-monger n.
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society > faith > church government > kinds of church government > establishmentarianism > [noun] > test > supporter of
tester1661
test-monger1687
test-mana1692
1687 Reasons for Repeal of Tests 4 In the Year 1675 the same Test was set on Foot in Parliament, by the Test-Mongers, with design to have made it more Extensive.
test-oath n.
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society > faith > church government > kinds of church government > establishmentarianism > [noun] > test
test1665
Test Act1708
test-oath1715
1715–16 in E. E. Estcourt & J. O. Payne Eng. Catholic Nonjurors of 1715 (1885) 9 I cannot take the Test and Abjuration Oaths enjoined by Acts of Parliament.
1863 H. Cox Inst. Eng. Govt. iii. viii. 718 In consequence of his inability to take the test-oath.
d.
test-free adj.
test-ridden adj.
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1889 Pall Mall Gaz. 3 July 2/2 This is why..English test-ridden Theology lags so much behind German.
e. (In sense 4.)
test-anxiety n.
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1972 Jrnl. Social Psychol. 87 155 Few studies have examined the relationship of birth order to test anxiety.
test bottle n.
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1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 71 We pour into the test bottle 2 thousandths of the decime solution of silver.
test certificate n.
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1976 Alyn & Deeside Observer 10 Dec. 10/2 He did not have an excise licence, a driving licence or a test certificate.
test-liquid n.
test-liquor n.
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1862 Internat. Exhib.: Illustr. Catal. Industr. Dept. II. xiii. §2904 Apparatus for centigrade testing,..preparation of the test liquors.
test performance n.
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1942 Mind 51 175 A factor which improves certain test-performances when it is not merely absent, but actually negative.
test-phial n.
test-solution n.
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1871 A. B. Garrod Essentials Materia Medica (new ed.) 428 The volumetric solutions of nitrate of silver and of iodine are also made use of as test-solutions for qualitative analysis.
test-spoon n.
test-stirrer n.
C2. Also Test Act n., test-tube n.
test ban n. a ban on the testing of nuclear weapons.
ΚΠ
1958 New Statesman 27 Dec. 898/1 More progress was registered at Geneva last week, when the test-ban conference approved a British draft of Article Four of the treaty.
1971 H. Trevelyan Worlds Apart xvi. 177 As we saw it, there were two elements in Soviet thinking about a test-ban.
1979 G. F. Newman List vi. 55 Kennedy sees the test ban treaty as a step toward peace.
test bed n. a piece of equipment for testing machines, esp. aircraft engines, before their acceptance for general use; also attributive and figurative.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > [noun] > for testing equipment
test bed1914
test rig1957
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > [noun] > instrument for testing
test bed1914
1914 Flight 21 Mar. 312/1 The 120 h.p. engine entered by the Green Engine Co. for the Military Aeroplane Engine Competition is mounted on a tilting test bed.
1924 S. R. Roget Dict. Electr. Terms 260 Test bed, a base plate or foundation upon which machines may readily be mounted for testing purposes.
1937 Times 13 Apr. (Brit. Motor Suppl.) p. xv/4 The car engines undergo a long and thorough trial on the test-bed.
1961 Aeroplane 101 791/1 Two VTOL test-bed aircraft using the G.E. J85-5 fan-lift engine.
1963 Listener 28 Mar. 542/2 The Russian leaders..have spent the last fifteen years on the test-bed of world strategy, feeling the fearful and complex stresses and strains that that involves.
1978 Sci. Amer. July 30/1 On test beds turbine-inlet temperatures of well over 1,650 degrees C. have been achieved for at least a decade.
test board n. see quot.
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1902 T. O'C. Sloane Standard Electr. Dict. App. Test Board, a board provided with switches or spring-jacks connected to separate lines, so that testing instruments may be readily connected to any particular line.
test-body n. Physics the imaginary object on which a thought-experiment is carried out.
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the world > matter > physics > [noun] > specific concepts or principles of > imaginary experiment > object of
test-body1920
the world > matter > physics > quantum theory > quantum mechanics > quantum electrodynamics > [noun] > object of experiment
test-body1920
1920 A. S. Eddington Space, Time & Gravitation iv. 64 A massive body, such as the earth, seems to be surrounded by a field of latent force, ready, if another body enters the field, to become active, and transmit motion. One usually thinks of this influence as existing in the space round the earth even when there is no test-body to be affected.
1955 L. Rosenfeld in W. Pauli Niels Bohr & Devel. Physics 71 This meant that in studying the measurability of field components we must use as test-bodies finite distributions of charge and current, and not point charges.
test-boiler n. a boiler for testing fuel or steam-apparatus, or supplying steam-pressure for testing other boilers ( Cent. Dict., Suppl. 1909).
test-bottom n. = sense 1; also, the cake of gold or silver formed in the bottom of a cupel.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > furnace or kiln > furnace > parts of furnace > [noun] > hearth or floor of furnace > movable
test1555
test-bottom1853
cupel1862
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > precious metal > [noun] > gold or silver > cake of at bottom of cupel
test-bottom1853
1853Test-bottom [see sense 1].
1871 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 1869–70 11 92 A cake or test-bottom [of silver]... Its weight was 4343 ounces Troy.
test-box n. Telegraphy a box fitted with terminals through which the wires are led, for convenience in testing.
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society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > telegraphy > telegraph > [noun] > test-box
test-box1876
1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 273 The wire is..put to earth at the test-box there.
test card n. (a) Ophthalmology a large card printed with rows of letters of decreasing size for use in testing visual acuity (cf. Snellen n.); (b) Television a diagrammatic still picture transmitted outside normal programme hours and designed for use in judging the quality and position of the image on any particular screen.
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society > communication > broadcasting > television > [noun] > specific transmission for adjustment of sets
test card1892
the world > health and disease > healing > ophthalmology or optometry > [noun] > kinds of eye-test > card used in testing sight
test card1892
test chart1910
1892 A. Duane tr. E. Fuchs Text-bk. Ophthalmol. iii. ii. 609 When the visual acuity has become so reduced that the largest letters of Snellen's test-card can no longer be recognized at 6 metres, the patient must go up nearer it.
1935 Popular Wireless 16 Mar. 14/2 The ‘test cards’ radiated recently by the B.B.C. have..been the cause of a lot of correspondence.
1949 H. C. Weston Sight, Light & Efficiency vii. 245 External light sources must be relied upon for illuminating the test-cards.
1962 Which? Mar. 70/2 To measure the resolution, we used the BS test-slide which has blocks of parallel lines of various thicknesses and spacings, similar to the test card shown to television viewers so that they can adjust their sets for a clear, sharp picture.
1978 S. Wilson Dealer's Move iii. vi. 103 A buzzing in my head to match the buzzing of the test card on the screen.
test case n. Law a case, the decision of which is taken as determining that of a number of others in which the same question of law is involved; also transferred and attributive.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > action of courts in claims or grievances > [noun] > a case before court > terms for various kinds of cases
cross cause1696
cause célèbre1763
business case1826
test case1894
prima facie case1895
paternity case1909
1894 W. Archer in World 31 Jan. 25/2 Mr. Gattie is of opinion that the insanity of one of the parties to a marriage should be..a compulsory ground for divorce... He indicts the law by making his hero break it, and showing..that his crime is a law-made crime... He is..bent upon getting up a good ‘test case’.
1906 Daily News 25 Apr. 9/1 Important charges of street betting, which were regarded by the police as test cases.
1911 ‘M. Corelli’ Life Everlasting ix. 205 Because he had seen in me the possibility of a ‘test case’, Santoris had tried his power upon me.
1959 B. North & R. North tr. M. Duverger Polit. Parties (ed. 2) i. ii. 112 Such counts..presuppose that the leaders of a number of test-case branches.. would make a very careful check of attendances over a period of time.
test chart n. Ophthalmology = test card n. (a).
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the world > health and disease > healing > ophthalmology or optometry > [noun] > kinds of eye-test > card used in testing sight
test card1892
test chart1910
1910 H. C. Parker Handbk. Dis. Eye v. 62 (caption) Test chart for illiterates.
1978 J. Parr Introd. Ophthalmol. ii. 64 If a subject's visual acuity is less than 6/60 the distance from the test chart can be progressively reduced down to 1m.
test-cock n. (a) a valved cock for clearing a steam engine cylinder of water; (b) a tap through which a sample of fluid may be drawn for examination; (c) a tap by means of which the level of water in a boiler or the like may be ascertained.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > steam engine > [noun] > parts of > valves
petcock1838
tail-valve1839
sea-cock1855
robinet1867
test-cock1877
Walschaerts1880
1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Test-cock (Steam-engine), a small cock fitted to the top or bottom of a cylinder for clearing it of water.
test-drive v. originally U.S. (transitive) to drive (a motor vehicle) in order to determine its qualities with a view to its regular use.
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society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (transitive)] > drive a motor vehicle > to test vehicle
test-drive1954
1954 Sun (Baltimore) 1 Nov. (B ed.) 9/1 Shaw and his companions were returning from Detroit, where he had test driven a 1955 Chrysler.
1971 Guardian 30 Oct. 20/1 Mrs Joy Johnson..demolished a ‘No Entry’ sign while test-driving a double~deck bus.
test-fire v. originally U.S. to fire (a gun or missile) experimentally.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > production and development of arms > produce or develop arms [verb (transitive)] > processes in gun-making > test
prove1788
plate1904
test-fire1947
1947 Birmingham (Alabama) News 27 Oct. 1/2 He stole the automatic pistol from an automobile and test-fired it twice before calling for the cab.
1952 N.Y. Times 27 Apr. iv. e5/2 The atomic gun-fired shell..will probably be test-fired in the course of the next year or so.
1960 Daily Tel. 8 Jan. 1/3 Russia is to test-fire new heavy rockets, intended for use on inter-planetary flights.
1980 N. Freeling Castang's City xxix. 202 We'll have it test~fired tomorrow and the cartridge marks compared.
test-flame n. a flame serving or used as a test; also figurative.
ΚΠ
1892 J. R. Harris Memoranda Sacra 130 The Christian's test-flame is the peace of God.
1913 V. B. Lewes Oil Fuel 102 The cup has a close-fitting lid, and carries the ‘test-flame’ and thermometer.
test flight n. a flight during which the performance of an aircraft is tested.
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society > travel > air or space travel > [noun] > a flight through air or space > to test aircraft
proving flight1573
test flight1912
shake-down flight1939
1912 Flight 3 Feb. 106/2 No flying on Friday beyond a test flight by Pizey on the Bristol.
1927 C. A. Lindbergh ‘We’ iv. 59 I took off for a test flight before taking the lady over Pensacola.
1976 Derbyshire Times 3 Sept. (Peak ed.) 28/1 The twin-engined Beechcraft monoplane..was on a test flight at the time.
test-fly v. (transitive) to test the performance of (an aircraft) in flight.
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society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > fly an aircraft [verb (transitive)] > test-fly
test pilot1917
flight-test1931
test-fly1936
1936 Meccano Mag. Aug. 433/2 I hope it will fall to my lot to test fly these great super-clippers.
1942 W. Simpson One of our Pilots is Safe ii. 40 During the day each aircraft received a special check-up and was test-flown by its pilot and crew.
1978 J. A. Michener Chesapeake 739 When the time came to test-fly the contraption,..an aviator from Washington..studied the seaplane.
test-flying n.
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society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > [noun] > to test aircraft
test-flying1928
flight-testing1943
test-piloting1958
1928 N. Macmillan Art of Flying 7 Immediately after the War, he took up test-flying with considerable success.
1961 Shell Aviation News Dec. 2/2 With the coming of auto-observers and telemetry, ‘test flying’ has been gradually and unobtrusively ousted by ‘flight testing’.
test-frame n. the iron frame or basket in which a cupel is placed: see sense 1.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > furnace or kiln > furnace > parts of furnace > [noun] > hearth or floor of furnace > movable > frame for
test-frame1839
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 1131 In forming the cupel, several layers of a mixture of moistened bone ashes, and fern ashes,..are put into the test-frame.
test-furnace n. a reverberatory refining furnace in which silver-bearing alloys are treated; also figurative.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > furnace or kiln > furnace > [noun] > furnaces for melting or refining metals > for treating silver-bearing alloys
test-furnace1877
1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Test-furnace, one form of refining furnace for treating argentiferous alloy.
1896 Godey's Mag. Feb. 186/2 I don't believe that the immortal Sara Bernhardt could have gone through the fierce test-furnace of this rôle more superbly.
test-glass n. a small cylindrical glass vessel for holding liquids while being tested.
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the world > matter > chemistry > equipment or apparatus > [noun] > general vessels > glass > test-tubes
dildo glassa1627
proof1791
tube1800
test-glass1827
test-tube1846
combustion-tube1861
1827 M. Faraday Chem. Manip. xiii. 285 On the top of a test-glass.
test-hole n. (a) a tap-hole in a furnace; (b) = test well n. below.
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society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > [noun] > hole drilled
test-hole1909
relief well1914
slim hole1953
1909 Chambers's Jrnl. Mar. 160/1 He [sc. the prospector] digs here and there, making test-holes.
1971 Sunday Austral. 8 Aug. 17/2 The new test hole is sited about 100 miles south-west of Fitzroy Crossing, W.A.
test-lead n. pure granulated lead used in silver assays ( C.D., Suppl. 1909).
test letter n. (a) a letter sent as a test of the honesty of the messenger; (b) see test-type n. ( C.D., Suppl. 1909).
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society > communication > correspondence > letter > [noun] > other types of letter
billet-doux1673
poulet1691
treble letter1753
round robin1755
screed1834
tickler1846
application letter1850
test letter1869
letter of envoy1873
hastener1922
fan letter1932
aerogram1933
yum-yum1943
newsletter1961
overnights1975
the world > health and disease > healing > ophthalmology or optometry > [noun] > kinds of eye-test > letters used in testing sight
test-type1864
test letter1869
1869 Trans. Amer. Ophthalmol. Soc. 4th & 5th Ann. Meeting 68 (heading) On a new series of test-letters for determining the acuteness of vision.
1897 Daily News 14 Apr. 7/5 The prisoner [a postman] was suspected. A test letter was sent, and it was not delivered.
1970 A. H. Keeney Ocular Exam. ii. 18/2 Snellen's real contribution was to standardize the size and form of test letters with relation to the distance from the observer.
test-lines n. the lines on a test-plate ( Encycl. Dict. 1888).
test load n. (see quot. 1888).
ΚΠ
1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin. Proof Load, or Test Load, a load imposed on a structure greater in amount than the working load, in order to test its capability or margin of safety.
test-market v. originally U.S. transitive and intransitive to put (a new product) on to the market, usually in a limited area, in order to determine consumers' response to it; also transferred; also as n., an area in which a product is test-marketed.
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society > trade and finance > selling > [noun] > area covered by salesman or firm
outride1879
territory1898
test-market1958
geography1983
society > trade and finance > selling > sell [verb (transitive)] > sell in specific manner
retail1365
tap1478
retaliate1640
outsella1687
wholesale1792
to sell short1852
hustle1887
brand1909
oversell1928
package1946
soft-sell1958
test-market1958
mass-market1959
sales-drive1962
bundle1969
cross-sell1972
up-market1972
onsell1979
1958 Wall St. Jrnl. 6 Nov. 23/5 A new line of cookingware which is now being test-marketed in three cities of the United States.
1964 Listener 12 Mar. 422/1 Many products are produced and tried out in test-markets (usually medium-sized cities or commercial-television areas) for a year or more.
1972 ‘J. Melville’ Ironwood ix. 154 She had come to me seeking recipes for a new sort of cooking chocolate she was helping test-market in this area.
test-marketing n.
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society > trade and finance > selling > [noun] > selling method or technique > types of
branding1913
cross-selling1919
mass marketing1920
supermarketing1940
hard sell1945
market testing1947
sales drive1951
soft sell1953
rack-jobbing1954
switch selling1960
cold selling1961
telesales1962
telemarketing1963
loss-leading1964
test-marketing1964
pyramid selling1965
inertia selling1968
overselling1968
bundling1969
oversell1969
rack job1969
bounceback1970
party plan1973
sale-leaseback1973
up-marketing1975
sellathon1976
upselling1977
cold calling1978
cold call1980
network marketing1981
ambush marketing1987
green marketing1988
relationship marketing1988
freemium1994
e-tailing1995
1964 Listener 12 Mar. 422/1 Decisions about test-marketing..are the cause of severe anxiety.
test match n. a match or game played to test which is the better of two players or teams; Cricket any one of a series of international representative matches played between two countries (originally applied to matches between England and Australia); Rugby (originally South African) any one of a series of matches between a touring team and a team representing the country of the tour; an international.Early cricketing uses are in the general sense; the modern application to international representative matches dates from the mid 1890s and was officially adopted by the M.C.C. in 1898.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > rugby football > [noun] > type of match
test match1857
test1933
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > [noun] > cricket-match > types of match
county match1748
test match1857
bowler's (or bowlers') match1863
goose match1885
cricket test1907
test1908
runathon1932
one-dayer1985
1857 Illustr. London News 24 Oct. 418/2 [Chess] Mr Pau Morphy, of New Orleans,..intends to challenge the victor to play a test match for a considerable stake.
1861 Empire (Sydney) 31 Dec. 5/3 [Cricket] The match [between two teams of players seeking to represent New South Wales] has been looked on as a kind of test match.
1862 W. J. Hammersley Victorian Cricketer's Guide 1861–2 159 Of the thirteen matches, five only can be termed ‘test matches’; the three played at Melbourne, and the two played at Sydney.
1889 John Wisden's Cricketers' Almanack (ed. 26) 162 There was a considerable amount of anxiety as to the result of the first of the three great test matches.
1899 Westm. Gaz. 27 June 5/1 Not far below his big test-match average.
1899 Westm. Gaz. 15 Aug. 5/3 Two test-match records were broken during the day.
1905 Westm. Gaz. 19 Aug. 2/3 Until the year 1894 no one had ever heard of a ‘Test’ match, but..since that time we have been accustomed thus to speak of an England v. Australia match.
1924 Times 15 Aug. 5/4 The British team for the first Rugby Football Test Match on Saturday will be selected [in S. Africa].
1933 M. Nicholls in I. D. Difford Hist. S. Afr. Rugby Football xxiv. 335 We won this fourth Test match by 13 points to 5, and squared the rubber.
1974 Encycl. Brit. Micropædia IX. 458/2 Rugby League football... The three principal Test-match series stand as follows.
test-meal n. a meal of specified quantity and composition, given as a test of digestive power.
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the world > health and disease > healing > diagnosis or prognosis > tests > [noun] > materials used in testing
test-meal1891
mucicarmine1896
pastille1906
barium meal1913
barium enema1930
mecholyl1934
radioiodine1935
cardiolipin1942
histoplasmin1945
barium swallow1946
methacholine1948
radiotracer1949
piperoxan1950
radio pill1957
1891 Cent. Dict. Test-meal.
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. III. 409 When the contents of the stomach are examined after a test-meal, the total acidity is found to be diminished.
test-meter n. (a) a meter for testing the consumption of gas by burners; (b) a meter used as a standard by which others are tried ( Funk's Stand. Dict. 1895).
test-mixer n. see quot.
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the world > matter > chemistry > equipment or apparatus > [noun] > miscellaneous apparatus
bain1477
speculum1650
filtering paper1651
wheel-fire1662
filter paper1670
sun furnace1763
respirator1789
candle-ball1794
rectifier1822
candle-bomb1823
filter1823
oxyhydrogen blowpipe1823
shade1837
graduator1839
pipette1839
thistle funnel1849
pressure tube1852
ozonizer1858
dialyser1861
Liebig condenser1861
Sprengel pump1866
Sprengel tube1866
water softener1867
mercury pump1869
Bunsen burner1870
dialysator1877
test-mixer1877
tube-condenser1877
Kipp1879
reflux condenser1880
policeman1888
converter1889
pressure boiler1891
spot plate1896
hydrogen electrode1898
sampler1902
reactor1903
fume-chamber1905
Permutit1910
microburner1911
salt bridge1915
precipitator1919
Raschig ring1920
microneedle1921
titrator1928
laboratory coatc1936
spray tower1937
precipitron1938
ion exchanger1941
potentiostat1942
chemostat1950
Knudsen pipette1951
pH-stat1956
cryopump1958
1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Test-mixer, a tall cylindrical bottle..graduated into..equal parts.., and..used in preparing test-alkalies, test-acids, and similar solutions.
test object n. (a) a minute object used as a test of the power of a microscope; (b) an object upon which a testing experiment is tried.
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the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > [noun] > that which is experimented on or with
test object1830
corpus vile1860
lab rat1954
the world > life > biology > laboratory analysis > material > [noun] > test object, etc.
test object1830
test1832
tester1925
test-cross1934
1830 C. R. Goring & A. Pritchard Microsc. Illustr. 2 The difficulty of demonstrating many test objects satisfactorily is very considerable.
1904 tr. Hueppe's Ætiology Infectious Diseases iii. 27 Guinea-pigs are so susceptible that we use them as the best test-object of tuberculosis.
test-paper n. (a) a paper impregnated with a chemical solution which changes colour in contact with certain other chemicals, and thus becomes a test of the presence of the latter; (b) U.S. a document produced in court in determining a question of handwriting (Webster, 1847); (c) a paper set beforehand to try whether a student is fit and ready for an examination.
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society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > paper
test-paper1827
examination paper1829
paper1835
exam paper1837
taste-paper1860
bumf1889
special paper1960
the world > matter > chemistry > chemical tests > indicators > [noun] > test papers
litmus paper1803
turmeric paper1806
test-paper1827
georgina paper1843
ozone paper1861
ozone test paper1872
turmeric test-paper1880
lead-paper1890
tetra-paper1890
1827 M. Faraday Chem. Manip. xii. 270 Test papers are far more advantageous for use than liquids: two of them in general application..are litmus and turmeric papers.
1871 A. B. Garrod Essentials Materia Medica (new ed.) 68 The solution is neutral or slightly alkaline to test-paper.
1926 R. Kipling Debits & Credits 273 To prepare for the Form a General Knowledge test-paper.
test-piece n. (a) a piece of anything used for testing; = test specimen n.; (b) a piece performed by each of the competitors in a musical contest to determine which is the best.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > piece of music > type of piece > [noun] > other types of piece
tinternel1573
aubade1678
nome1705
accompaniment1728
potboiler1783
raga1789
elegy1808
improvisation1824
pièce d'occasion1830
morceau de salon1854
tum-tum1859
murky1876
test-piece1876
invention1880
monodia1880
serenata1883
monody1887
dumka1895
incidental number1904
a cappella1905
folk-tune1907
realization1911
nosebleeder1921
show tune1927
sicilienne1927
estampie1937
ballad1944
Siciliana1947
hard rocker1957
rabble-rouser1958
display1959
mobile1961
soundscape1968
grower1973
lounge1978
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > trial, test, or testing > [noun] > specific tests or testing > test of materials or equipment > piece prepared for
test-piece1876
test specimen1894
1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 179 The electrical resistance of the wire..and the resistance of each test-piece.
1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. 2537/2 The angle through which the test-piece yielded before its fracture became complete.
1909 Service for the King May 103 The heat is gauged by the potters..who place in the oven test-pieces of pottery, which can be drawn out.
1927 Melody Maker Aug. 792/1 Some bandsmen tell you that after playing a test-piece for perhaps a hundred times they feel they are only just beginning to appreciate it.
1960 Times 23 May 16/6 It would make a good test-piece for an international Eisteddfod.
test pilot n. one who test-flies an aircraft; also (with hyphen) as v. transitive.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > fly an aircraft [verb (transitive)] > test-fly
test pilot1917
flight-test1931
test-fly1936
society > travel > air or space travel > people who fly in aircraft or spacecraft > [noun] > person in control of aircraft or spacecraft > person in control of aircraft > other aeroplane pilots
test pilot1917
airline pilot1922
bush pilot1936
brown shoe1946
tug pilot1948
1917 W. L. Wade Flying Bk. 193/1 Now with Parnell and Sons, of Bristol, as chief test pilot.
1927 C. A. Lindbergh ‘We’ iv. 61 The service parachute…gave the test pilot a safe means of escape in most cases when all else had failed.
1947 Sat. Evening Post 6 Dec. 78/2 They reminded him of the fiery trail left by the high-altitude jet plane he had test-piloted in the last week of the war.
1978 J. A. Michener Chesapeake 740 The trial run was without incident, the test pilot pronouncing the craft airworthy.
test-piloting n.
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society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > [noun] > to test aircraft
test-flying1928
flight-testing1943
test-piloting1958
1958 Times Lit. Suppl. 16 May 274/3 The beauty and immensity of the skies have always been a spiritual bonus added to the satisfactions of test-piloting work well done.
test-pit n. Archaeology a pit dug to gain an idea of the contents of a site; also figurative.
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the world > time > relative time > the past > history or knowledge about the past > [noun] > archaeology > archaeological expedition or excavation > trench
test-pit1896
sondage1914
robber trench1932
trial trench1947
1896 M. H. Foote in Atlantic Monthly May 606/2 Sinking test-pits through layers of crusted consciousness into depths of fiery nature.
1905 D. Mackenzie Let. Sept. in Observer (1962) 11 Feb. 11/4 The examination of the later test-pits was reserved for a future time at your own express desire.
1952 V. G. Childe New Light on Most Anc. East vii. 123 How far other innovations..coincide with the change in pottery cannot be decided from the limited material furnished by a narrow test pit.
Categories »
test-plate n. (a) a glass plate ruled with very fine lines, used in testing the power of microscope objectives (E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. 1877); (b) a piece of pottery on which colours are tried before being used on the pieces to be decorated ( Cent. Dict. 1891); (c) a slip of glass used in mixing test-solutions (Knight).
test pressure n. (see quot. 1892).
ΚΠ
1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin. s.v. Boiler Testing The test pressure is usually from one and a half to twice that of the actual pressure to which it is intended to work the boiler.
1892 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin. App. Test Pressure, the pressure put upon a steam boiler before delivery to purchaser.
test-pump n. a force-pump used in testing pipes, cylinders, and the like.
test range n. a range (range n.1 10) where missiles are tested.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > production and development of arms > [noun] > test range for missiles
test range1973
1973 Lebende Sprachen 18 72/2 On 5th May..Ariel 3 was successfully launched by a scout rocket from the western test range..at Vandenburg Air Force base, California.
test-retest adj. Psychology of or designating a method by which a test is given to a subject on two occasions separated by a lapse of time.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > developmental psychology > acquisition of knowledge > test of mental ability > act of testing > [adjective] > using retesting
test-retest1945
1945 L. Guttman in Psychometrika X. 255 (heading) A basis for analyzing test-retest reliability.
1945 L. Guttman in Psychometrika X. 266 That the universe of trials be indefinitely large seems part of the definition of the problem of test-retest reliability.
1960 F. Land Lang. Math. xiv. 253 The ‘test re-test’ method..involves giving the test and then, after some lapse of time, giving it again to the same group of people... A correlation less than 0·9 between the two performances of the same test would indicate that its reliability was below the acceptable level.
test rig n. Engineering an apparatus used for assessing the performance of a piece of mechanical or electrical equipment.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > [noun] > for testing equipment
test bed1914
test rig1957
1957 Technology Sept. 244/3 The..mechanical engineering research laboratory..developed a new test rig for..fittings for oil hydraulic circuits.
1978 R. V. Jones Most Secret War xlv. 435 If only we had complete photographic cover of the Blizna area we could have found the launching site or test rig.
test-ring n. (a) see quot.; (b) a ring-shaped piece of iron, etc., taken as a sample of the metal of which it is made ( Cent. Dict., Suppl. 1909).
ΚΠ
1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 185 Test-ring, an oval iron frame holding a test or movable cupelling-hearth.
test-roll n. (a) a roll signed by those who have complied with a test or tests as prescribed by the various test acts; (b) the roll signed by a member of the House of Lords or Commons after having taken the oath or made the declaration required of him as such.
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society > communication > record > list > [noun] > list of names or people
bead-roll1529
scroll1546
checker-roll1571
bead-row1576
panel?1578
list1604
nomenclature1635
lexicon1647
head-roll1819
name-scroll1861
visitors' lista1865
roll-call1867
test-roll1879
line-up1890
1879 T. E. May Parl. Pract. (ed. 8) 204 So soon as a member has been sworn, he subscribes the oath which he has taken, in a book, at the table, commonly called the ‘test-roll’; and is then introduced to the Speaker by the clerk of the house.
1884 9th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS App. 68/2 Certificate..Produced this day [17 Nov. 1675] on his taking the oaths and signing the Test Roll.
test signal n. a sequence of electrical impulses used for testing purposes in television broadcasting.
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society > communication > broadcasting > television > visual element > [noun] > signals, types, or parts of
picture frequency1926
picture signal1927
black level1935
line frequency1936
pedestal1937
line scan1938
picture black1938
white level1938
porch1941
test signal1945
spot wobble1950
luminance1953
1945 Daily Herald 31 Aug. 4/4 The B.B.C. is already sending out test signals on the sound channel.
1975 D. G. Fink Electronics Engineers' Handbk. xxi. 29 The use of test signals must not result in significant degradation of the program transmissions.
test specimen n. a piece of metal, etc. prepared for a mechanical test.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > trial, test, or testing > [noun] > specific tests or testing > test of materials or equipment > piece prepared for
test-piece1876
test specimen1894
1894 W. J. Lineham Text-bk. Mech. Engin. 378 Shackles for Test Specimens should be carefully designed.
test strip n. (a) Cinematography (see quot. 1940); (b) Photography (see quot. 1973).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > photography > plates and films > [noun] > film > types of film
film negative1871
roll1889
roll film1895
reversal film1929
colour film1930
lenticular film1934
pan1940
test strip1940
flat film1950
integral tripack1953
lith1955
overhead transparency1966
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > filming equipment > [noun] > film > sound stripe > test
test strip1940
1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. Test strip (Cinema.), the specially exposed unmodulated sound-track which is made to ascertain the current in the exciter lamp of a recording machine which gives the requisite density on the negative, after normal development.
1958 T. L. J. Bentley in Newnes Compl. Amateur Photogr. iv. 78 By giving a series of test strips different periods of development and measuring the resulting gammas and plotting them against development times, a curve is produced.
1973 D. A. Spencer Focal Dict. Photogr. Technol. 623 Test strip, a piece of the sensitised material on which exposure is to be made which is exposed in sections, each receiving a different exposure to enable the correct exposure to be judged by the appearance of the developed strip. Each successive section typically receives twice the exposure of the previous section.
test-type n. letters of graduated sizes used by opticians in testing sight.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > ophthalmology or optometry > [noun] > kinds of eye-test > letters used in testing sight
test-type1864
test letter1869
1864 W. D. Moore tr. F. C. Donders On Anomalies Accomm. & Refraction of Eye ii. 99 We give him small print—I to IV of Snellen's test-types to read.
1907 J. H. Parsons Dis. Eye ix. 161 Jaeger's near test types..are simply the ordinary printers' founts of type, from the smallest upwards (nonpareil, minion, etc.).
1962 H. C. Weston Sight, Light & Work (ed. 2) viii. 224 Another series of test types has been selected by the British Faculty of Ophthalmologists and either this or the Jaeger series is readily obtainable.
test well n. Oil Industry a well made in testing a site for oil.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > oil rig > [noun] > well
well1652
spouting well1776
petroleum well1801
rock well1830
oil well1859
spouter1865
gusher1876
test well1877
wild cat1877
wildcat well1883
roarera1885
oiler1890
discovery1900
edge well1904
wild well1915
offset well1922
stripper1930
offset1933
production well1934
outstep1947
step-out well1948
1877 Sci. Amer. 22 Dec. 387/3 A large number of ‘wildcats’, or test wells, have gone down off the eastern edge of the defined line, but with very few exceptions they have proved dusters.
1925 A. B. Thompson Oil-field Explor. & Devel. I. v. 208 The selection of sites for test wells is one of the most responsible duties that devolves on pioneers.
1975 Offshore Sept. 91/1 A total of 12 deep onshore test wells have been drilled, all of which have been dry holes.
test-word n. (a) Psychology a word used in a test; (b) Onomastics a word used to determine the presence of a particular linguistic form or influence.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > naming > study of names and naming > [noun] > word used in onomastics
test-word1905
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > developmental psychology > acquisition of knowledge > test of mental ability > [noun] > word used in test
test-word1905
1905 A. Meyer in Psychol. Bull. 15 July 242 The time was measured with a stop-watch from the chief syllable of the test-word to the reaction.
1924 E. Ekwall in Mawer & Stenton Introd. Survey Eng. Place-names iv. 60 Norwegian test-words are breck, buth (ON búð), gill, scale, slack.
1965 G. Kristensson in Eng. Stud. Apr. 142 This surname [sc. Ladyman] is..too unreliable to be used as a test-word for the appearance of OE (ge)lād.
Draft additions March 2013
Test series n. Sport a sequence of matches, the results of which determine an overall winner or champion; spec. a set of Test matches between two international teams at cricket, rugby, and some other sports.
ΚΠ
1890 Logansport (Indiana) Chron. 19 July 4/5 It will take at least a season's campaign..to get..up to the point of team work which gave the Giants the world's championship..and that they would not have had but for Ward's help in the test series.
1895 Notts. Guardian 12 Oct. 3/5 The supporters of the club have remained loyal, but will they remain true if the team is not qualified to play in the test series?
1898 Standard 10 Mar. 7/6 Although badly beaten in the test series, there is no doubt but that they [sc. A. E. Stoddart's Australian XI.] will render a better account of themselves at home.
1955 Times 19 Sept. 5/4 South Africa have not been beaten in a Test series at home since J. Hammond's British Isles' side won the rubber in 1896.
1999 Cricketer Mar. 31/2 Having lost the Test series 5–0 in an unprecedented clean sweep, they proceeded to lose the one-dayers as well.
2009 Pratiyogita Darpan Dec. 999/1 India beat Canada 3-1 to take an unassailable 4-0 lead in the seven match Hockey Test series.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
testn.2
/tɛst/, U.S. /tɛst/ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > [noun] > earthenware vessel
crockc1000
pigc1450
pot1463
muga1522
olla1535
test1545
capruncle1657
fictile1849
cruche1856
figuline1878
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > clay compositions > baked clay > pottery or ceramics > [noun] > fragment or part of
shardc1000
potsherda1325
pot-lid1404
potscarc1450
test1545
shred1616
crock1850
pan-sherd1851
tesson1858
pot-shell1865
1545 G. Joye Expos. Daniel (iv.) f. 27 Then was the teste or potsherd, the brasse, golde & syluer redacte into duste. [Cf. Vulg. Dan. ii. 45 testam et ferrum et æs].
1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique i. xii. 76 It is good..to haue a dish of the plane tree or a test of earth.
2. † b. Botany. The skin of a seed: = testa n. 1. rare.
a. Zoology. The shell of certain invertebrates.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Mollusca > [noun] > mollusc or shell-fish > parts of mollusc
ungulaa1382
mantlea1475
trunk1661
diaphragm1665
lid1681
operculum1681
ear1688
beard1697
corslet1753
scar1793
opercle1808
pleura1826
pallium1834
byssus1835
cephalic ganglia1835–6
opercule1836
lingual ribbon1839
tube1839
cloak1842
test1842
collar1847
testa1847
rachis1851
uncinus1851
land-shell1853
mantle cavity1853
mesopodium1853
propodium1853
radula1853
malacology1854
gill comb1861
pallial cavity1862
tongue-tootha1877
mesopode1877
odontophore1877
pallial chamber1877
shell-gland1877
rasp1879
protopodium1880
ctenidium1883
osphradium1883
shell-sac1883
tooth-ribbon1883
megalaesthete1885
rachidian1900
scungille1953
tentacle-sheath-
the world > animals > invertebrates > protozoa > class Sarcodina > order Rhizopoda > [noun] > suborder Foraminifera > member of > shell
test1842
testa1847
1842 Penny Cycl. XXII. 371/1 This external covering or test, extremely delicate and fragile towards the umbones of the valves.
1854 S. P. Woodward Man. Mollusca ii. 214 The vascular processes by which in many ascidians the tunic adheres to the test.
1872 H. A. Nicholson Man. Palæontol. 60 Rhizopoda in which the body is protected by a shell or ‘test’.
1888 G. Rolleston & W. H. Jackson Forms Animal Life (ed. 2) 905 The Amœbina may be classified as..: 1. Nuda s. Gymnamœbæ: devoid of a test... 2. Testacea s. Lepamœbæ: a test either chitinoid..or composed of chitinoid or siliceous plates cemented together.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > seed > [noun] > parts of > covering or skin
pillc1300
huskc1400
shell1561
tunicle1601
parchment1682
tunic1760
seed coat1776
aril1785
testa1796
perula1825
spermoderm1841
endopleura1842
test1846
arillode1854
tegmen1857
1846 B. H. Smart Walker's Pronouncing Dict. (ed. 2) Test (or Testa..), the skin of a seed.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
testn.3
/tɛst/, U.S. /tɛst/ Obsolete exc. dialect.† 1. A witness. Cf. testis n.1 Obsolete. rare.Quot. 1528 may belong to testis n.1† 2. Evidence, witness borne. Cf. attest n. 1.† 3. = teste n.2 Cf. attest n. 2. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > [noun] > a witness, testifier
witec900
witnessc950
witnessman10..
proofc1380
witnesserc1400
record1408
recorderc1425
test1528
testor1570
attestator1598
attester1598
testator1602
suffragator1606
testimoner1607
testifier1611
voucher1612
suffragant1613
testate1619
sponsor1651
testee1654
vouchee1654
adducer1681
testificator1730
circumstantiator1858
1528 Rede me & be nott Wrothe sig. h viv To prove it shall nede no testes.
1614 W. B. tr. Philosophers Banquet (ed. 2) iii. i. 197 The faithful teste or witnesse.
a1626 L. Andrewes XCVI. Serm. (1661) 488 A Witnesse is requisite. There is no matter of weight with us, if it be sped authentically..but it is with a Teste.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > [noun] > evidence given, testimony
witnessc950
proof?c1225
witnessingc1330
evidencea1387
probacyc1460
probation?a1475
testimonial?a1475
testimony?a1475
testimonage1483
testamentc1485
conjecture1526
fact?1531
trial1532
teste1567
suffragy1571
attest1609
probate1610
testa1616
testate1619
discovery1622
constat1623
a1525 (c1448) R. Holland Bk. Howlat l. 253 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 102 All this trety has he tald be termess in test.]
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) i. iii. 107 To youth this is no proofe, Without more certaine and more ouert test. [Cf. 1623 Troilus & Cressida v. ii. 124 That test [1609 th attest] of eyes and eares.]
1658 Sir T. Browne Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall iii. 35 The lasting tests of old boundaries.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal document > [noun] > paragraph or clause > testing clause
teste1611
test1709
testing clause1765
testatum1844
witnessing part1844
testimonium1852
1709 J. Strype Ann. Reformation xxvi. 277 In the term next after the test of the said writ.
1752 J. Louthian Form of Process (ed. 2) 174 The Court shall issue another Writ..of the same Test, Return and Import with the former.
4. A will: = testament n. 1. Scottish.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > testamentary disposition > [noun] > will
witword?997
quideOE
bequeath1297
testamentc1330
willc1400
intestement1463
latter will1540
testimonialc1616
settlement1815
script1850
test1890
1890 J. Service Thir Notandums iii. 13 By ane eik to his test, he left to Peter Scartle the soom of five shillings.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
testv.1
/tɛst/, U.S. /tɛst/ I. Senses relating to a testament.† 1. transitive. To leave by will or testament, to bequeath. Scottish. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > testamentary disposition > bequeath by will [verb (transitive)]
leaveOE
bequeath1066
queatha1325
let1340
dowc1374
bequest1394
wit1394
devise1395
give1420
willc1460
test1491
legacy1546
legate1546
league1623
legatee1797
1491 in Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1839) I. 208/1 He allegeit It wes testit gudis, & he Intromettit þarwt as executour.
2. intransitive. To make a will, execute a testament. (See also testing n.1 1.) Obsolete exc. Scottish.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > testamentary disposition > make a will [verb (intransitive)]
test1582
testamentizea1661
testamenta1878
testate1892
1582 Bible (Rheims) Heb. ix. 17 For a testament..is yet of no value, whiles he that tested, liueth.
1681 J. Dalrymple Inst. Law Scotl. xxx. §18 Persons..condemned of Infamy could not test.
1821 W. Scott Pirate I. vi. 142 I will test upon it [Note, i.e. leave it in my will] at my death, and keep it for a purse-penny till that day comes.
1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scotl. at Testament A wife has power to test without the consent of her husband.
1880 J. Muirhead tr. Ulpian Rules xxiii, in tr. Gaius Institutes 414 By imperial constitutions soldiers are allowed to test in any way they like.
II. Senses relating to a deed or writ.
3. transitive. English Law. To date and sign the teste of a writ, etc. (see teste n.2 2).The past participle appears in Blackstone as teste'd, as if formed immediately on teste, but it is usually written and pronounced tested.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal document > [verb (transitive)] > attest by signature
witnessa1325
sign1440
test1727
1727 J. Asgill Metamorph. Man 249 His title..is tested and dated from the Death and Resurrection of Christ, as the Cause of it.
1745 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1851) V. 775 A Commission Tested by me under the Great Seal of the Province.
1769 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. IV. xxi. 288 A warrant from the chief, or other, justice of the court of king's bench extends all over the kingdom: and is teste'd, or dated, England.
1883 Wharton's Law-lexicon (ed. 7) (at cited word) All writs..were formerly tested in the name of the Lord Chancellor if issuing from the Court of Chancery, or of the Lord Chief Justice if issuing from the Queen's Bench, etc.
4. Scots Law. To authenticate a deed or written instrument by a testing clause (testing n.1 2) duly drawn up in statutory form and signed by witnesses.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal document > [verb (transitive)] > attest by signature > authenticate by testing clause
test1838
1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scotl. at Testament A testament..must be properly tested and signed before witnesses; but if it be in the testator's own handwriting, witnesses are not required.
1911 T. Hunter Let. to Editor The Scottish law requires writings (except those in re mercatoria) to be either holograph or tested.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
testv.2
/tɛst/, U.S. /tɛst/ 1. transitive. To subject (gold or silver) to a process of separation and refining in a test or cupel; to assay.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > work with metal [verb (transitive)] > test
examinea1382
assayc1440
touch1469
testa1616
essay1695
standard1734
ensay1740
a1616 [see tested adj. at Derivatives].
1661 [implied in: R. Boyle Some Consid. Style of Script. (1675) 128 Those wary testers, that like not to be cheated. (at tester n.4 a)].
1828 N. Webster Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. Test, v., 3. In Metallurgy, To refine gold or silver by means of lead, in a test, by the destruction, vitrification or scorification of all extraneous matter.
1872 [see tested adj. at Derivatives]. 1872 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 120 The ore tested yielded $25 per ton.
1872 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 335 These lodes have not been tested by the repeated and continuous milling of the ore raised from them.
1873 J. A. Symonds Stud. Greek Poets iii. 89 You may test gold and silver, but there are no means of getting at the thoughts of men.
2.
a. To subject to a test of any kind; to try, put to the proof; to ascertain the existence, genuineness, or quality of. to test out, to put (a theory, etc.) to a practical test. Phrases: to test (something) to failure or destruction; to test the water (figurative: cf. quot. 1888).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > try, test [verb (transitive)]
cuneOE
afondOE
found1340
searcha1382
experiment1481
experience1541
probe1542
try1545
invent1548
sound1589
to bring or put to the test1594
plumb1599
to feel out1600
essay1656
test1748
plumb-line1875
to try out1888
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > trial, test, or testing > try or test [verb (transitive)]
fandc893
costeneOE
afondOE
provea1200
fraista1300
assay1330
sayc1330
try1362
approvec1380
examinea1382
winnowa1382
tempt1382
tastea1400
assailc1405
essay1484
scryc1615
sensea1688
test1748
trial1981
dogfood1997
1748 [see tested adj. at Derivatives].
1766 H. Brooke Fool of Quality I. iv. 138 You have been sufficiently tested.
a1799 G. Washington Addr. (Webster 1828) Experience is the surest standard by which to test the real tendency of the existing constitution.
1815 T. Jefferson Writings (1830) IV. 260 Materials which test the truth it contains.
1820 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Sept. 591/1 They have not the means of testing the statements.
1837 J. H. Newman Lect. Prophetical Office Church 324 The Church is bound ever to test and verify her doctrine.
1838 R. Southey Doctor V. 215 But I will test (as an American would say..) I will test Mr. Campbell's assertion.
1838 W. E. Gladstone State Relations with Church (1839) 186 This theory however has not been tested experimentally.
1888 M. E. Braddon Fatal Three I. v. 98 I have tested the water in all the wells.
1926 Publishers' Weekly 29 May 1794/2 To test out the value of radio publicity.
1962 F. I. Ordway et al. Basic Astronautics vii. 325 We first select 100 units and test them to failure.
1972 D. Ramsay Little Murder Music 62 ‘If you're attempting to establish a motive—’ ‘I'm just testing the water,’ Meredith said.
1974 Howard Jrnl. 14 104 Legal philosophers could back up these efforts by testing out some of their theories with research projects.
1978 A. Price '44 Vintage xviii. 203 Sergeant Winston tested the statement to destruction.
1980 J. Krantz Princess Daisy xxv. 443 ‘I guess it's just..lucky..that Supracorp's such a big business,’ Kiki said, testing the waters.
b. To subject (a person) to a test of a particular kind.
ΚΠ
1939 Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. July 1 The range of chronological age of persons tested was so wide that a special enquiry had to be undertaken.
1957 C. N. Parkinson Parkinson's Law (1958) 23 So much time has been spent in studying the art of being tested that the candidate has rarely had time for anything else.
1978 Washington Post 20 Jan. d 1 Hepburn had played bit or supporting roles in several European movies..before William Wyler tested her and cast her as the runaway princess in ‘Roman Holiday’.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > office > appointment to office > appoint a person to an office [verb (transitive)] > require to fulfil test act
test1687
society > authority > office > appointment to office > choosing or fact of being chosen for office > election of representative body by vote > [verb (transitive)] > require to fulfil test act
test1687
1687 Reason of Toleration 36 There is no reason they should be so cruelly Tested for Doctrines that are but either obscurely reveal'd, or not necessarily enjoyn'd.
1687 W. Penn Good Advice to Church of Eng. 61 The end of Testing and Persecuting.
1689 Let. in N. Brit. Daily Mail 27 Dec. (1894) If we have a Convention chosen by our present tested magistrates we may expect little good from their hands.
1697 I. Wright in Coll. Dying Testimonies (1806) 42 Testers, Banders, Bloodshedders, Consenters to Blood.]
4. Chemistry. To subject to a chemical test.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > chemical tests > subject to a chemical test [verb (transitive)]
test1839
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 71 (Assay) The testing of the normal liquor..is..less tedious than might be supposed.
1842 E. A. Parnell Elements Chem. Anal. (1845) 35 Oxide of silver is most conveniently applied, in liquid testing, in the form of nitrate of silver.
1846 G. E. Day tr. J. F. Simon Animal Chem. II. 135 The urine..must be tested with litmus paper.
1864 in Webster's Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang.
5. intransitive.
a. To undergo a test. U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > trial, test, or testing > test [verb (intransitive)] > undergo test
toucha1625
test1934
1934 in Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang.
1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. (at cited word) Actors..best suited to the roles for which they tested. Christian Herald.
1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. (at cited word) The great turboprop..was still testing.
1981 Times 29 Apr. 12/3 I tested with Jack Nicholson for his own film Goin' South. It came down to a choice between myself and Mary Steenburger and she got the part.
b. With phrasal complement. To achieve a rating of (so much) as the result of a test. U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > trial, test, or testing > test [verb (intransitive)] > undergo test > with specific result
test1934
1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. (at cited word) A compound that tests ten per cent.
1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. The eyesight of different peoples may test the same. R. Benedict.
1971 ‘L. Egan’ Malicious Mischief viii. 135 They could guess that he might test dull-normal. He was seventeen, not very big and not very bright.
1976 M. Machlin Pipeline ii. 32 It tests over two thousand barrels a day.
6. absol. or intransitive. To apply or carry out a test.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > trial, test, or testing > test [verb (intransitive)]
atryc1485
test1961
1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. (at cited word) Use the scratch technique in testing for allergies.
1978 T. Sharpe Throwback ix. 87 Then say ‘Testing. Testing. Testing’ into that little transmitter.
Derivatives
ˈtested adj. (in senses 1, 2); in quot. 1689, having taken the test-oaths.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > agreement > promise > [adjective] > bound by promise
troth-plighta1300
sworna1325
plightedc1390
assured1426
jurate1433
abjured1552
sure1567
trothed1567
obliged1600
testeda1616
ingudged1650
betrothed1651
sacramental1785
undertaking1786
oath-bound1795
committed1821
word-bound1836
tied1876
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > precious metal > [adjective] > pure or refined
burntc1400
testeda1616
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > trial, test, or testing > [adjective] > tried or tested
yfondedOE
triedc1412
assayed1440
proved1587
probatum1600
tested1748
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) ii. ii. 153 Not with fond Sickles of the tested-gold, Or Stones, whose rate are either rich, or poore. View more context for this quotation
1689 Let. in N. Brit. Daily Mail 27 Dec. (1894) If we have a Convention chosen by our present tested magistrates we may expect little good from their hands.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa III. xxxiii. 176 She cannot break thro' a well-tested modesty.
1872 Ld. Tennyson Last Tournament in Gareth & Lynette 108 I..heard it ring as true as tested gold.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1c1386
n.21545n.31528
v.11491v.2a1616