Etymograph

English

testament

Testament comes from Old French testament ‘testimony’, from Latin testāmentum ‘the publication of a will, a will, testament’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tristh₂s.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tristh₂s1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tristos1‘witness’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestis2‘one who attests, a witness’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestor2‘to be a witness, testify, attest, make a will’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestāmentum2‘the publication of a will, a will, testament’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400testament2‘testimony’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500testament2
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1976testament2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin testis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English testament
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1976, Steven Blevins, Ads and Beauty Contests: “These ads are a sad testament to the paper's…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tristh₂sWiktionary, Latin testisreconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tristosWiktionary, Latin testis‘witness’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestisWiktionary, English testament‘one who attests, a witness’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestorWiktionary, English testament‘to be a witness, testify, attest, make a will’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestāmentumWiktionary, English testament‘the publication of a will, a will, testament’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400testamentWiktionary, English testament‘testimony’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500testamentWiktionary, English testament
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1976testamentWiktionary, English testament. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1976, Steven Blevins, Ads and Beauty Contests: “These ads are a sad testament to the paper's…”

Linked words

through Latin testis ‘one who attests, a witness’

testimony, contestant, testimonial, testicular, testicle, attestation, testis, 11 more

through Latin testor ‘to be a witness, testify, attest, make a will’

contest, attest, detest, 8 more

Today it means

noun A solemn, authentic instrument in writing, by which a person declares his or her will as to disposal of his or her inheritance (estate and effects) after his or her death, benefiting specified heir(s).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “testament”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin testis. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tristh₂s / testament

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