Etymograph

English

testimonio

Testimonio comes from Spanish testimonio ‘testimony’, from Latin testis ‘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‘witness’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestimōnium1‘testimony, witness’
  7. Spanishc. 1500–presenttestimonio2‘testimony’
  8. Englishtodaytestimonio2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Spanish testimonio
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English testimonio

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-Wiktionary, Spanish testimonio‘to stand (up)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*trito-sth₂-o-sWiktionary, Spanish testimonioreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tristosWiktionary, Spanish testimonio‘witness’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*terstisWiktionary, Spanish testimonioreconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestisWiktionary, Spanish testimonio‘witness’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtestimōniumWiktionary, Spanish testimonio‘testimony, witness’
  7. Spanishc. 1500–presenttestimonioWiktionary, English testimonio‘testimony’
  8. EnglishtodaytestimonioWiktionary, English testimonio

Linked words

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

state, post, system, stay, stand, rest, distance, assistant, stadium, assistance, instance, stood, stable, assist, establishment, instant, establish, stability, substance, consistent, distant, constitution, stem, insist, resist, destiny, static, persistent, consist, destination, stud, persist, stool, extant, stale, stamina, prostitution, prostitute, distal, stationary, 151 more

through Latin *terstis

contestant, attestation, 6 more

through Latin testis ‘witness’

contest, testament, attest, testicular, detest, testator, 15 more

Today it means

noun A first-hand account of politically charged experiences; an oral history narrative.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “testimonio”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Spanish testimonio. 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- / testimonio

Shirt and support for this word