means To express strong public objection or disapproval — through statements, demonstrations, or refusals — against something seen as wrong or unjust.

from From Latin protestari, "to declare publicly," built from pro- ("forth, openly") and testari ("to bear witness," from testis, "a witness"). So at its root, to protest is to stand up and testify — to make your objection a matter of public record. The same testis seeds testify, testimony, and attest, all clustered around the act of bearing witness. The word arrived in English via Old French in the late Middle Ages, first carrying the sense of solemn declaration before sharpening into the modern sense of declaring against.