Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “test” come from?

Test comes from Old French test, from Latin testis, meaning witness, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root terh₁-.

test (English): A challenge, trial; A cupel or cupelling hearth...

Definitions

  1. A challenge, trial; A cupel or cupelling hearth...

Ancestry of “test”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishteste—
2Old Frenchtestehead
3Latintestiswitness; one who testifies or attests; testicle
4Latinterstis—
5Latintrīstis—
6Proto-Indo-Europeantristh₂sa third party standing, after the two parties to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeansteh₂-to stand

Words derived from “test”

  • testing
  • pretest
  • testable
  • posttest
  • retest
  • subtest
  • testbed
  • testability
  • testbench
  • untestable
  • backtesting
  • backtest
  • posttesting
  • testee
  • nontest
  • playtest
  • testpiece
  • biotest
  • testingly
  • intertest
  • untestability
  • multitest
  • undertest
  • overtest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- →