obtestation

A lawyer makes an obtestation before the court.

Definition

1. Noun (countable/uncountable):
   • Earnest supplication or entreaty: "obtestation" refers to the act of making a solemn or urgent request, often in a religious or formal context.
   • Calling someone as a witness: It also means the act of invoking someone (especially a deity or authority) to bear witness to a statement or action.
   • Formal protest: In older usage, it can denote a strong objection or protest, typically made in a ceremonial or legal setting.

Usage Examples

• Earnest supplication:
  • The priest’s obtestation for mercy moved the congregation to tears. (A solemn, urgent plea for divine compassion.)
• Calling as a witness:
  • In his final speech, he made an obtestation to the heavens to confirm his innocence. (He invoked the heavens as witnesses to his truthfulness.)
• Formal protest:
  • The senator’s obtestation against the bill was recorded in the official minutes. (A formal objection raised in a legislative body.)

Advanced Usage

• "to make an obtestation": to perform the act of obtestation.
  • The ambassador made an obtestation before the council, urging them to reconsider their decision. (He delivered a solemn, formal plea.)
• "obtestation of innocence": a formal declaration or protest of one’s own innocence.
  • His obtestation of innocence was ignored by the court. (His solemn claim that he was not guilty.)

Variants and Related Words

• Obtest (verb, archaic): to beseech or supplicate; to call as a witness.
  • She did obtest the gods for aid in her time of need. (She earnestly begged the gods for help.)
• Obtestatory (adjective, rare): relating to or characterized by obtestation.
  • The obtestatory tone of the letter suggested deep desperation. (The letter’s pleading, urgent quality.)

Synonyms

• Supplication: the act of asking humbly and earnestly.
• Entreaty: an earnest or humble request.
• Invocation: the act of calling upon a deity or spirit for aid or as a witness.
• Protestation: a strong expression of dissent or objection.

Related Idioms

• To call heaven to witness: a phrase meaning to invoke a higher power as a witness, similar to obtestation.
  • He called heaven to witness that he had spoken the truth. (He made an obtestation to the divine realm.)
• To make a solemn appeal: to request or protest in a formal, serious manner.
  • The lawyer made a solemn appeal to the judge’s sense of justice. (He engaged in a form of obtestation.)