Test

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /tɛst/

Definitions

1. A procedure or examination designed to measure knowledge, skill, ability, or the presence of something
2. An assessment or evaluation conducted to determine the quality, validity, or performance of a person, object, or process
3. A systematic approach to gauging the competence, state, or condition of an entity or individual through various methodologies

Etymology: The surprising starting point is a pot. Old French "test" or "teste" meant an earthen vessel, especially a pot in which metals were tried, and it came from Latin "testum," a lid or earthen pot. Metallurgists heated ore and metal in these vessels to see what they were made of, so putting something to the test began as a literal act of heating it in a crucible. The examination sense grew out of that metaphor. Just as a metallurgist puts gold to the test to reveal its purity, a teacher can put students' knowledge to the test. The sense of a trial or examination thus came from the workshop rather than the schoolroom. A separate strand also fed into English. A different Old French "teste" came from Latin "testis," meaning a witness, and it gave English a sense of attestation. The two words merged in Middle English, so the modern noun blends the idea of the furnace with the idea of testimony.

Synonyms: exam, assessment, evaluation, quiz, check

Antonyms: guess, ignore, neglect