testify

From Middle English testifien, borrowed from Old French testifier, from Latin testificārī, present active infinitive of testificor (“I bear witness”), from testis (“a witness”) + facere (“to make”). See -fy.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛstɪfaɪ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: tes‧ti‧fy

testify (third-person singular simple present testifies, present participle testifying, simple past and past participle testified) (transitive, intransitive)

1. To make a declaration, or give evidence, under oath.
   • 2014 August 29, Ruzwana Bashir, “The untold story of how a culture of shame perpetuates abuse. I know, I was a victim”, in The Guardian:

     It was only after a decade away from Skipton that I was finally able to garner the courage to return and testify against my abuser.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 35:30:

     One witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.

2. To make a statement based on personal knowledge or faith.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 3:11:

     We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

• bear witness

• attest
• testimony
• testimonial

• compel testimony

• “testify”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “testify”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.