English
testify
Testify comes from Latin testificārī ‘to bear witness’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestificārī‘to bear witness’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400testifier
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500testifien
- Englishearliest quotation 1611testify
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestificārī‘to bear witness’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400testifier
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500testifien
- Englishearliest quotation 1611testify
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “One witness shall not testify against any person to…”
A compound of testis ‘a witness’ + facere ‘to make’
Proto-Indo-European *tristh₂s
Proto-Italic *tristos ‘witness’
Latin testis ‘a witness’
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k-
Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁kyéti
Proto-Italic *θakjō
Proto-Italic *fakjō ‘to make’
Latin faciō ‘to make’
Every English word from Latin testificārī
Today it means
verb To make a declaration, or give evidence, under oath.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin testificārī / testify