Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Protestantism” come from?

Protestantism comes from English Protestant, derived from French -ant and Latin protestari meaning to declare or bear witness, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- meaning to appear or be.

Protestantism (English): The Protestant Christian faith; Collectively,...

Definitions

  1. The Protestant Christian faith; Collectively,...

Ancestry of “Protestantism”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishProtestantA member of any of several Christian...
2Germanprotestant—
3FrenchprotestantProtestant; present participle of protester
4Frenchprotesterto protest; to object
5Latinprōtestor—
6LatintestorI am witness, testify, attest; I make a will
7Latintestiswitness; one who testifies or attests; testicle
8Latinterstis—
9Latintrīstis—
10Proto-Indo-Europeantristh₂sa third party standing, after the two parties to...
11Proto-Indo-Europeansteh₂-to stand
Every word from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- →