Testimony

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Testimony

Origin of Phrases - T

 

Testimony

Castration was a common practice in ancient times, and it was not unusual for a man to be called upon to prove that he wasn't a eunuch.  There was only one way to do that: he had to show off his testicles.  Testicles has its root in the Latin word testis, which itself came from an ancient word for the number three.  The idea of an objective third party led testis to mean "witness."  In medieval trials, a man giving evidence was likely to place one hand on his testicles while taking the oath.  Since testicles proved that a man was what he seemed, the evidence he gave came to be referred to as testimony.