Etymograph

English

testification

Testification comes from Latin testificātiō ‘testifying, testification’, from testis ‘witness’, 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‘witness’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestificor3‘to testify, bear witness’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestificātiō4‘testifying, testification’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1692–1717testification4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin testis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin testificor
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin testificatio
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English testification
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions: “a direct testification of our homage to him [God]”.

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, Latin testificor‘witness’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestificorWiktionary, Latin testificatio‘to testify, bear witness’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestificātiōWiktionary, English testification‘testifying, testification’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1692–1717testificationWiktionary, English testification. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions: “a direct testification of our homage to him [God]”

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *tristos ‘witness’

contestant, attestation, 8 more

through Latin testis ‘witness’

contest, testament, testimony, attest, testimonial, detest, testicular, testator, 13 more

Today it means

noun The act of testifying, or giving testimony or evidence.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “testification”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin testis, Latin testificor, Latin testificatio. 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 / testification

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