contest: [16] The idea underlying contest, unlikely as it may seem, is of ‘bearing witness’. It goes back to Latin contestārī, a compound verb formed from the prefix com- ‘together’ and testārī ‘bear witness’, which in turn was derived from testis ‘witness’ (whence English testament, testicle, and testimony). This verb signified the bringing of a lawsuit by ‘calling witnesses together’ from both sides.
Hence was introduced the adversarial or competitive notion that passed into English, probably via Old French contester (although in the 16th and 17th centuries traces of the original Latin sense ‘bear joint witness, attest’ survived in English, presumably as a scholarly reintroduction). => testament, testicle, testimony
contest (v.)
c. 1600, from French contester "dispute, oppose," from Middle French, from Latin contestari (litem) "to call to witness, bring action," from com- "together" (see com-) + testari "to bear witness," from testis "a witness," (see testament). Calling witnesses as the first step in a legal combat. Related: Contestable; contested; contesting.
contest (n.)
1640s, from contest (v.).
雙語例句
1. The latest opinion polls are predicting a very close contest.
最近的民意測驗預測競爭將會非常激烈。
來自柯林斯例句
2. This has stripped the contest down to its essentials.
這就使比賽精簡到最基本的環節。
來自柯林斯例句
3. The contest was as much about personalities as it was about politics.
競賽比手段策略，也比個性。
來自柯林斯例句
4. Gerald was no longer the odds-on favourite to win the contest.
傑拉爾德不再是有望贏得比賽的熱門人選。
來自柯林斯例句
5. It is still a close contest between two leading opposition parties.