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Glite Dictionary
testatrix

testatrix

9.9
A woman who makes a will
  • noun
  • /ˈtɛstətrɪks/
  • Archaic
translation icon : testadora
  • After reviewing her assets, the testatrix made specific bequests to her children in her last will.

Examples

  • The wise testatrix carefully detailed her wishes in the will to ensure her estate was distributed according to her desires.

  • A number of these smaller items were designated for female friends and relatives; they were most likely chosen by the testatrix herself and likewise left to those she chose; they were not conveyed as part of a family patrimony.

    Academic text (1996)

  • These were valuable goods, but the bequests were deeply personal and closely tied to a passing on of something of the identity of the testatrix to those closest to her.

    Academic text (1996)

  • In the case of such linens, this was either personally worked or chosen by the testatrix, and so passed on to personal relatives or friends, or it had a family connotation and was bequeathed accordingly.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The intent of the Signora testatrix was carried out with the creation of a model and foundations for the church, but because of wars and notable hindrances from the rivers that flooded the monastery, the construction was dormant for a little less than forty years.

    Academic text (1999)

  • As the testatrix finalized her will, she deliberated on which cherished items to leave to her closest friends.

Synonyms

testator
vstestatrix
  • Formal
1 9.6

A person who makes a will to say who gets their money or things after they die

refers specifically to a woman rather than to a person of any gender
testate
vstestatrix
  • Formal
9.8

A person who has made a legal will before they die

refers specifically to a woman rather than to a person of any gender

Antonyms

intestate
  • Formal
9.1

A person or property not left by a legal will when someone dies

Surface Forms

testatrix singular
testatrices plural

Morphology

testatrix = testator (semi-transparent) = testator + trix

Formed from the masculine 'testator' with a Latin feminine agentive ending '-trix'; because '-trix' is rare and the alternation replacing '-or' with '-trix' is not productive in modern English, many learners may not predict the form.

Etymology

Testatrix comes from the Latin root testis, meaning 'witness', and is the female form of testator, related to English words like testify and testament. So a testatrix is a woman who makes a 'will' and officially declares her last wishes.