12/11/2008

The Origin of the Word Testify

We have been using the word “testify” since time immemorial. According to Encarta Encyclopedia, testify means to declare something that can be taken as evidence under oath in a court of law or to make factual statement based on experience. But do you know where this word originated? I know you’ll be amazed if you still haven’t.

Did You Know

The word "testis", in human anatomy, refers to a part of the reproductive organ of the male or sometimes referred to as the “testicles”. On the other hand, this also came from the Latin word that means “to bear witness”.

In ancient Rome, only men could bear witness or testify in a public forum – because only men have testes (plural of testis). What’s a little bit preposterous about it is that, in order to show importance to their testimony, they would hold their testicles as they spoke, and an oath was declared while holding another's testicles. Isn’t it a bit hilarious in this modern time?

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