Testimonial

How to spell testimonial

11 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce testimonial

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does testimonial mean?

1. nounA formal written or spoken statement praising someone's character, ability, or a product's quality.
2. nounA public tribute, gift, or event held to honour someone, often on retirement.

Testimonial in a sentence

• The website featured a glowing testimonial from a satisfied customer.

• The club organised a testimonial for the coach after thirty years of service.

• Her former manager wrote a warm testimonial to support the job application.

• Colleagues raised funds for a generous testimonial to mark her retirement.

Where does testimonial come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin testimonium, which meant 'evidence' or 'witness statement', and was built on testis, the Latin word for a witness, literally someone who testifies. Latin formed testimonialis as an adjective meaning 'relating to a witness or to evidence', and English borrowed it through Old French in the late 1300s. At first a testimonial was a written certificate vouching for someone's character or conduct, much like a letter of reference today. Over the centuries the sense broadened to cover any public statement of praise, including the glowing customer reviews and the gifts presented at a retirement gathering. The same testis root sits inside testify, testimony, and attest, and remembering that family helps fix the tricky middle: it is testi-, not testa-, because it is about a witness, not a taste.

How the word is built

• testi- (from Latin testis: witness)
• -moni- (from testimonium: evidence, testimony)
• -al (adjective/noun suffix)