Etymograph

English

testamur

Testamur comes from Latin testor ‘we testify’, from testis ‘a witness’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand (up)’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-1‘to stand (up)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*trito-sth₂-o-s1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tristos1‘witness’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*terstis1reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestis1‘a witness’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestor2as testāmur‘we testify’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1911testamur2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin testor
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English testamur
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1911, Commonwealth Shipping Committee, Reports: “It has already been mentioned that we are prepared…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-Wiktionary, Latin testor‘to stand (up)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*trito-sth₂-o-sWiktionary, Latin testorreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tristosWiktionary, Latin testor‘witness’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*terstisWiktionary, Latin testorreconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestisWiktionary, Latin testor‘a witness’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestorWiktionary, English testamuras testāmur‘we testify’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1911testamurWiktionary, English testamur. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1911, Commonwealth Shipping Committee, Reports: “It has already been mentioned that we are prepared…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand (up)’

post, system, state, stay, rest, stand, distance, constitution, assistant, stood, assistance, stadium, instance, assist, consistent, stable, establishment, stability, establish, instant, destination, substance, insist, destiny, distant, stem, resist, consist, static, persistent, prostitution, stud, persist, stationary, stool, prostitute, substitution, armistice, extant, stale, 150 more

through Latin testis ‘a witness’

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

through Latin testor ‘we testify’

contest, attest, detest, 8 more

Today it means

noun A certificate of successful completion of an examination.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “testamur”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin testor. 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 *steh₂- / testamur

Shirt and support for this word