teston

noun

tes·​ton ˈte-ˌstän 

variants or testoon

te-ˈstün 

or less commonly tester

ˈte-stər 

: any of several old European coins: such as

a

: a shilling of Henry VIII of England decreasing in value to ninepence and then to sixpence in Shakespeare's time

b

: a French silver coin of the 16th century worth between 10 and 14¹/₂ sous

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from Old Italian testone, augmentative of testa head, from Late Latin, skull — more at tester entry 2

First Known Use

1536, in the meaning defined above