testify — Wordorigins.org
www.wordorigins.org › big-list-entries › testifyMay 07, 2022 · Testify is a word with a straightforward etymology but one with a myth attached. The verb is a late fourteenth-century borrowing from the medieval Latin testificare, a later variant on the classical testificor. The Proto-Indo-European root is *trei, with a base meaning of three, and testify and related words come from the compound root *tri-st-i, meaning something like third person standing by, in other words a witness to the fact or truth.
“Testify” Comes From the Latin Word for Testicle
11.12.2011 · In ancient Rome, two men taking an oath of allegiance held each other's testicles, and men held their own testicles as a sign of truthfulness while bearing witness in a public forum. The Romans...
testify | Etymology, origin and meaning of testify by …
https://www.etymonline.com/word/testify1.5.2017 · late 14c., "give legal testimony, affirm the truth of, bear witness to;" of things, c. 1400, "serve as evidence of," from Anglo-French testifier, from Latin testificari "bear witness, show, …
testify | Etymology, origin and meaning of testify by etymonline
www.etymonline.com › word › testifyMay 01, 2017 · testify (v.)late 14c., "give legal testimony, affirm the truth of, bear witness to;" of things, c. 1400, "serve as evidence of," from Anglo-French testifier, from Latin testificari "bear witness, show, demonstrate," also "call to witness," from testis "a witness" (see testament) + combining form of facere "to make" (from PIE root *dhe-"to set, put"). Biblical sense of "openly profess one's faith and devotion" is attested from 1520s.