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témoin

Etymology and origin of the French word témoin

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1165, Guillaume d'Angleterre (tesmoing)
Inherited from
Latin testimonium via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (testimonium)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin testimonium
English testimony
French témoin

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /te.mwɛ̃/[1]

Forms

témoin m (plural témoins, feminine (rare) témoignesse or (both nonstandard) témouine or témointe)[1] Old French tesmoign (about 1150) and tesmoin (about 1175); témoin from the 17th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French tesmoin, inherited from Latin testimōnium (“testimony; proof”), which in Late Latin also meant “a witness” (late 4th century, in Egeria's account of her pilgrimage).[4][2][5][6][7][1] The Latin noun is derived from testis (“witness”);[4][2] Rey explains that noun through *terstis, from an older *tristis “one who stands as a third party”, from the root of trēs (“three”), with an exact match in Oscan trstus (“witnesses”).[2][8] The French word thus combined the senses of both Latin nouns.[2]

Old French also borrowed the Latin noun as testimonie “testimony, proof” (early 12th century), whence English testimony; it did not survive in French.[4][1] Cognate with Italian testimonio, Spanish testimonio, Occitan testimòni, Catalan testimoni and Portuguese testemunha (“witness”).[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

About 1165 Guillaume d'Angleterre uses tesmoing for a document that serves as proof;[4] Chrétien de Troyes (1176–81) has tesmoing et garant, material proof.[4]

Semantic evolution

The sense “proof, testimony”, kept today by témoignage, lasted long in law in en témoin de quoi (1417), out of use in the 19th century, and survives in prendre à témoin (1530; earlier traire a tesmon, 13th century), and in témoin… “as witness…” at the head of a sentence (about 1175).[2][4][5] Before 1200 it also named a person who certifies what he saw or heard, as in faux témoin (about 1283, Beaumanoir), and the witness who certifies a legal act.[2][4] Marot (1543) extends it to anyone who simply sees an event, and, from the early 19th century it names a second in a duel.[2][4]

As in Latin, the plural témoins was used for the testicles (late 13th century).[2] The idea of a reference gave a sample of goods (1260), a mound of earth left to show the original level (1676), and modern uses in apposition such as lampe-témoin (1929) and appartement-témoin.[4][9]

Timeline

  • c. 1165 – “Proof, document”, Guillaume d'Angleterre.[4]
  • c. 1175 – A person who testifies, Chrétien de Troyes.[2][3]
  • 1260 – A sample of grain, Étienne Boileau's Livre des métiers.[4]
  • c. 1283 – Faus tesmoins, Beaumanoir.[4]
  • 1530 – Prendre à témoin, Palsgrave.[3]
  • 1543 – A spectator, Marot.[4]
  • Early 19th century – A second in a duel.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (law) A witness: a person who testifies to what he saw or heard, témoin à charge, à décharge, witness for the prosecution, for the defence, faux témoin.[8][1][3]
  2. A person who attests a document or ceremony; at a wedding, a witness or best man.[8][1]
  3. An onlooker, a person present at an event: témoin oculaire, an eyewitness.[8][1]
  4. A second in a duel.[2][3]
  5. (athletics) The baton passed in a relay race.[1]
  6. Something that serves as a reference or evidence; a control, a control group; an indicator light; in apposition, appartement-témoin, a show flat.[1][9]
  7. Prendre à témoin: to call to witness.[8][2]

Word family

  • témoigner
  • témoignage

Usage notes

The feminine is rare; the Petit Robert gives la témoin.[8] In prendre à témoin the word is invariable, as it means “testimony”, though it is sometimes made to agree by confusion with the person.[8][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/1, 284b
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Témoin.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/t%C3%A9moin. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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