testator's

Meaning

1. 1nounproperlegalformal

   Belonging to or relating to a person, especially a man, who has made a will.

   Grammar: Possessive form used before a noun: 'the testator's estate'. It is not used on its own as a subject.

   Patterns

   • the testator's signature
   • the testator's estate
   • the testator's wishes

   The lawyer asked for the testator's signature on the final page.

   The court must follow the testator's wishes as expressed in the will.

   After the testator's death, the family gathered to hear the will read.

Common combinations

the testator's signature

Without the testator's signature, the will may not be valid.

the testator's estate

The testator's estate was divided among three children.

the testator's wishes

The executor tried to carry out the testator's wishes exactly.

Synonyms and how they differ

testatrix's

This is the old-fashioned feminine possessive form, used when the person who made the will is a woman; modern legal writing often avoids it.

Word family

testator noun

A person, especially a man, who has made a will.

testate adjective

Having made a valid will, as in 'she died testate'.

testament noun

A formal legal document, especially a will; also used in the phrase 'last will and testament'.

Commonly confused: testator's or testimony?

Practice

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