Etymologically
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testimony

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtɛstɪməni/ (UK); /ˈtɛstɪmoʊni/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English testimonie, from Old North French testimonie and directly borrowed from Latin testimonium (“evidence, proof”),[2][3][4] from testis (“a witness”) and the suffix -mōnium (see -mony).[2][5] Etymonline thinks the word unlikely to have anything directly to do with testes.[2] The earlier form in English, from Old French, was testimoigne (about 1300).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Ten Commandments, or the stone tablets they were written on: before 1382, in the Wycliffe Bible.[6][7][2] This follows the Vulgate's testimonium, which, like Greek martyrion, translates Hebrew ʿēdūth, attestation, from ʿēd, witness.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Proof or demonstration of a fact is from about 1400,[2] and in law the sworn statement of a witness from the early 15th century.[2][7] The precepts of God, the divine law, is from 1535.[7] Open attestation or confession of faith, the evangelical sense, is by the 1540s.[2][7] Any object or act serving as proof is from 1597.[7]

Timeline

  • before 1382 – the Decalogue.[6][7]
  • c. 1400 – proof, evidence.[2]
  • early 15th century – a witness's statement.[2]
  • 1540s – a profession of faith.[2]
  • 1597 – anything serving as proof.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A formal statement given by a witness, especially under oath in a court of law.
  2. Evidence or proof of something: a testimony to her skill.
  3. A public declaration of religious faith.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press