Protestatory

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Showing or expressing disagreement or disapproval, often publicly or emphatically
2. Demonstrating protest or objection toward an idea, action, or situation
3. Conveying opposition or dissent through words, actions, or expressions

Etymology: Its root once meant nearly the opposite of dissent. Latin "protestari" combined "pro-", meaning publicly, with "testari", to bear witness, from "testis", a witness. To protest was first to declare something solemnly and openly, as a witness would, not to object to it. The sense of formal objection grew out of that public declaration, and English "protest" came to carry both meanings. "Protestatory" is built from "protest" and the suffix "-ory", which turns a verb into an adjective meaning serving to or having the character of the action. A protestatory gesture is therefore one that performs the act of objecting. The suffix comes from Latin "-orius" through Old French, the same route behind English words like "declamatory" and "migratory".

Synonyms: protesting, objectional