English
certificate
Certificate comes from Middle English certificat.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500certificat
- Englishearliest quotation 1560certificate
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500certificat
- Englishearliest quotation 1560certificate
Earliest quotation: 1560, The .VJ. Booke: “[W]herfoꝛe, ſeing thei be clere in cõſcience, the cauſe…”
The story
The noun is from Middle English certificat, certificate, sertyfycat, from Middle French certificat or its etymon Medieval Latin certificātum.
Every English word from Middle English certificat
Today it means
noun A document containing a certified statement.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English certificat / certificate