test-based
|test-based|
/ˈtɛstˌbeɪst/
based on tests
Etymology
'test-based' originates from Modern English, formed by combining the noun 'test' and the past-participial adjective 'based', where 'test' meant 'a trial or examination' and 'base' (in 'based') meant 'to found or establish'.
'test' entered Middle English from Old French/Anglo-Norman (related to words meaning 'trial' or 'assay') and ultimately from Latin roots associated with testing; 'base' comes from Old French and Latin 'basis' meaning 'foundation'. The modern compound 'test-based' arose in recent English by productive compounding (noun + past-participial adjective) to describe something founded on tests.
Initially the components referred separately to 'a trial' ('test') and 'a foundation' ('base'); over time the compound came to mean 'founded on the outcome(s) of tests' and is used primarily as a descriptive adjective.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
determined or judged primarily by standardized tests or examinations (often used about educational policies, admissions, or evaluation systems).
The school's admissions policy is largely test-based.
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Adjective 2
founded on or derived from diagnostic or laboratory tests (used in medical, scientific, or technical contexts).
The diagnosis was test-based, relying on bloodwork and imaging.
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Last updated: 2025/12/01 07:37