The "Con" in both is from a Latin root meaning together.
The "test" in contest is from Latin testis, meaning "witness", from a root meaning "three" (as in, a third party).
The word test is from Latin testum meaning earthen pot, because metals could be tested for quality by melting them in such a pot.
Etymology is super interesting to me.
Testify!
Ok, let me go get my earthen pot.
Speaking of testis… should I worry I only have two?
I always thought that the word "island" was just short for "isolated land" -- There has to be some reason there's an 's' in there right?. But some etymologist told me it didn't come to be in that manner.
In ancient english we didn’t have pronouns. So when cavemen looked at far away land all they had was “is land?” and when they finally got there on the backs of dinosaurs, they said “yes is land”.
Eventually the space was lost to time. Etymology.
