Where does “protestant” come from?
protestant (Danish) comes from German protestant, from French protestant, from French protester, from Latin prōtestor, from Latin testor, from Latin testis, from Latin terstis, from Latin trīstis — to stand.
protestant (Danish): a Protestant (follower of Protestantism; member of a Protestant church)
Definitions
- a Protestant (follower of Protestantism; member of a Protestant church)
Ancestry of “protestant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | protestant | Protestant person |
| 2 | French | protestant | Protestant; present participle of protester |
| 3 | French | protester | to protest; to object |
| 4 | Latin | prōtestor | to testify, bear witness, attest |
| 5 | Latin | testor | I am witness, testify, attest; I make a will |
| 6 | Latin | testis | witness; one who testifies or attests; testicle |
| 7 | Latin | terstis | — |
| 8 | Latin | trīstis | sad, unhappy, melancholy, morose |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | tristh₂s | a third party standing, after the two parties to... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |