Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A deceased woman who has left a legally valid will.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A woman who makes a will or testament; a woman who has made a will or testament and dies leaving it in force.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Law) A woman who makes and leaves a will at death; a female testator.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a female testator

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin, feminine of testātor, testator; see testator.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Late Latin testatrix, feminine of Latin testator ("one who makes a will"); see testator.

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Examples

  • The frame was made, and the will hung up opposite to her bed, unknown to any one but Leonard; and, by dint of his repeated reading it over to her, she learnt all the words, except "testatrix," which she would always call "testy tricks."

    Ruth Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell 1837

  • When Ruth came to the word "testatrix," Sally stopped her.

    Ruth Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell 1837

  • At the expiration of that term, if the will of the testatrix has been duly carried out, the house is to become the property of my heirs, for, as you know,

    La Grand Breteche 2007

  • For my part, I should be quite content to make you free to come and go in the house; but being bound to respect the will of the testatrix, I have the honor, monsieur, to beg that you will go into the garden no more.

    La Grand Breteche 2007

  • At the expiration of that term, if the will of the testatrix has been duly carried out, the house is to become the property of my heirs, for, as you know,

    La Grand Breteche 2007

  • For my part, I should be quite content to make you free to come and go in the house; but being bound to respect the will of the testatrix, I have the honor, monsieur, to beg that you will go into the garden no more.

    La Grand Breteche 2007

  • Mademoiselle de Canillac — property formerly confiscated from her father, abandoned by the king to a keeper of the royal treasure, and afterwards given by this keeper of the royal treasure to the testatrix.

    A Philosophical Dictionary 2007

  • We are the more concerned, Sir, to wish you to decline this office, because of your short and accidental knowledge of the dear testatrix, and long and intimate acquaintance with the man to whom she owed her ruin, and we the greatest loss and disappointment (her manifold excellencies considered) that ever befell a family.

    Clarissa Harlowe 2006

  • They will be long, long worn in memory of the dear testatrix.

    Clarissa Harlowe 2006

  • I gave her therefore the thirty guineas bequeathed to her and to her son for mourning; the only mourning which the testatrix has mentioned; and desired her to lose no time in preparing her own, as I doubted not, that she would accompany the corpse, if it were permitted to be carried down.

    Clarissa Harlowe 2006

Comments

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  • a woman who writes a will, a female testator.

    February 16, 2007

  • Ouch. Sounds painful.

    February 16, 2007

  • I was going to say that it sounds kinky.

    February 16, 2007

  • I'm guessing I'm focused on the "testa" part, seanahan, while you're probably seeing the "-trix" part. ;-)

    February 16, 2007

  • A prefix and a suffix that should not be combined without resulting in horrible, gut-wrenching pain.

    February 16, 2007

  • I say again: Ouch.

    February 16, 2007

  • "Her brother, though he did not much relish this testimony of her love, nevertheless that same evening gave an account of this particular to Mr. Hatchway, who was also, as Mr. Pickle assured him, generously remembered by the testatrix."

    — Smollett, Peregrine Pickle

    January 13, 2022