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