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