sound mind and memory

sound mind and memory n. having an understanding of one's actions and reasonable knowledge of one's family, possessions and surroundings. This is a phrase often included in the introductory paragraph of a will in which the testator (writer of the will) declares that he/she is "of sound mind and memory." The general test is whether the person making the will understood: a) the meaning and effect of the will, b) what the person owned (more or less), and c) the "natural objects of his/her bounty," meaning the immediate family and any other particularly close relatives or friends to whom he/she might leave things. (See: competent, incompetent, will)