Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - test

 abbreviation ~ament TEST  I. noun  Etymology: Middle English, vessel in which metals were assayed, potsherd, from Anglo-French ~, tees pot, Latin ~um earthen vessel; akin to Latin ~a earthen pot, shell  Date: 14th century  1.  a. chiefly British cupel  b.  (1) a critical examination, observation, or evaluation ; trial; specifically the procedure of submitting a statement to such conditions or operations as will lead to its proof or disproof or to its acceptance or rejection a ~ of a statistical hypothesis  (2) a basis for evaluation ; criterion  c. an ordeal or oath required as proof of conformity with a set of beliefs  2.  a. a means of ~ing: as  (1) a procedure, reaction, or reagent used to identify or characterize a substance or constituent  (2) something (as a series of questions or exercises) for measuring the skill, knowledge, intelligence, capacities, or aptitudes of an individual or group  b. a positive result in such a ~  3. a result or value determined by ~ing  4. ~ match  II. adjective  Date: 1687  1. of, relating to, or constituting a ~  2. subjected to, used for, or revealed by ~ing a ~ group ~ data  III. verb  Date: 1748  transitive verb  1. to put to ~ or proof ; try — often used with out  2. to require a doctrinal oath of  intransitive verb  1.  a. to undergo a ~  b. to be assigned a standing or evaluation on the basis of ~s ~ed positive for cocaine the cake ~ed done  2. to apply a ~ as a means of analysis or diagnosis — used with for ~ for mechanical aptitude  • ~ability noun  • ~able adjective  IV. noun  Etymology: Latin ~a shell  Date: circa 1842 an external hard or firm covering (as a shell) of many invertebrates (as a foraminifer or a mollusk)