protest

Pronunciation

• IPA: noun UK /ˈprəʊ.test/, US /ˈproʊ.test/; verb UK /prəˈtest/, /prəʊˈtest/, US /proʊˈtest/, /prəˈtest/, /ˈproʊ.test/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English protest, borrowed from Old French protest, from protester,^[2][3][4] from Latin prōtestārī (“to declare publicly, testify”),^[2][3][5] from prō- “forth, before” and testārī “to testify”, from testis “witness”.^[2][3][6] It is related to testament, testify, attest and Protestant.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A solemn declaration, an avowal: about 1400 in the OED, Etymonline and Barnhart.^[7][2][3] The verb, to vow, is from 1430, and to declare solemnly from 1440.^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

The original sense of the verb survives in to protest one's innocence.^[2] Making a formal declaration against an act or measure is from about 1600,^[2] and “to object, dissent” from 1608.^[3] In banking, the formal action fixing liability for a dishonoured bill is from 1622.^[7] A written statement of dissent by members of the House of Lords is from 1712,^[7] and the noun “a statement of disapproval” is from 1751.^[7][2][3] Its association with marches and rallies arose in the 20th century: protest vote is by 1905,^[2] protest march by 1942 in the American civil rights movement,^[2] and protest rally from 1960.^[2] The name Protestant was first given to those who joined in a protest at the Diet of Spires in 1529.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 1400 – a solemn declaration.^[7][2]
• 1440 – verb, to declare solemnly.^[7][3]
• 1608 – to object.^[3]
• 1622 – protest of a bill.^[7]
• 1751 – a statement of disapproval.^[7][2]
• 1942 – protest march.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A statement or action showing strong disapproval or objection.
2. A public event, such as a march, at which people show disapproval of something.
3. (law) A formal declaration that a bill has not been paid.

Verb

1. To express strong disapproval of or objection to something.
2. To declare something firmly, especially when others doubt it: protest one's innocence.

Word family

• protester
• protestingly
• protestable
• protestive
• supraprotest
• Protestant
• protestation
• protest vote

Related words

• testament
• testify
• attest

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press