Dictionary

testimony en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈtɛstɪməni/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ˈtɛstɪmoʊni/ (General-American)

Etymology

PIE word *tréyes Inherited from Middle English testimonie, from Old French testimonie, from Latin testimōnium (“testimony”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Statements made by a witness in court.
   • The Missouri prosecutors' case against Clemons, based partly on incriminating testimony given by his co-defendants, was that Clemons was part of a group of four youths who accosted the sisters on the Chain of Rocks Bridge one dark night in April 1991. 2012 August 21, Ed Pilkington, “Death penalty on trial: should Reggie Clemons live or die?”, in The Guardian:
   • “The suspected cause of the death is believed to be the consumption of tainted alcoholic beverages,” KPL said. “Officials are in the process of collecting detailed information, evidence, and witness testimonies and are expected to release an official statement soon.” 2024 November 21, Helen Regan, Isaac Yee and Eve Brennan, “Australian teens among six tourists dead as countries warn of suspected methanol poisonings in Laos”, in CNN:
2. (countable, uncountable) An account of first-hand experience.
   • [Thou] for the testimony of truth, hast borne / Universal reproach. 1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
3. (countable, uncountable) In a church service (or religious service), a personal account, such as one's conversion, testimony of faith, or life testimony.
4. (countable, uncountable) Witness; evidence; proof of some fact.
   • Of course, the testimony of the early writers on orthography and pronunciation on the question under discussion is not always easy to interpret, especially when they offer comparisons with foreign sounds or when they give descriptions derived from other sources or from classical models. 2021 July 28, Fausto Cercignani, “On the alleged existence of a vowel /yː/ in early Modern English”, in English Language and Linguistics, volume 26, number 2, Cambridge University Press, →DOI, page 4:
   • And whoſoeuer ſhall not receiue you, noꝛ heare you, when yee depart thence, *ſhake off the duſt vnder your feet, foꝛ a teſtimonie against them: Uerely I ſay vnto you, it ſhalbe moꝛe tolerable for Sodom and Gomoꝛrha in the day of iudgement, then foꝛ that citie. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Mark 6:11:
   • This new win is testimony to the tactical skill of their coach.
   • We may never know the entire history of Atlantis. What little remains at the bottom of the ocean stands in mute testimony to a race of proud and naughty people, their majestic creations now home to fish and barnacles and octopuses. 2005, Annabelle du Fouet, “The murky world from whence it all came” (chapter 2), in Weather Balloons Make Rotten Sex Toys, Ellora's Cave, →ISBN, page 38:

Forms

Deriveds

compel testimony

Relateds

testify · testiphony · testimonial · test

Synonyms

deposition · testament

Translations (138)

la testimōnium (statement in court) · id keterangan (statement in court) · pt testemunho (statement in court) · nn bevis (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · da vidnesbyrd (statement in court) · de Zeugnisablegen (account of first-hand experience) · ja 論証 (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · hy վկայություն (account of first-hand experience) · ms testimoni (statement in court) · de Zeugnis (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · pt testemunho (account of first-hand experience) · fi todistajanlausunto (account of first-hand experience) · wa temognaedje (statement in court) · hu tanúság (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · ru свиде́тельство (account of first-hand experience) · pl zeznanie (statement in court) · te సాక్ష్యం (account of first-hand experience) · hi गवाही (statement in court) · sh svjedočánstvo (statement in court) · tl testimonyo (statement in court) · de Zeugnis (personal account of conversion) · ota شهادت (statement in court) · th ปากคำ (statement in court) · nb forklaring (statement in court) · cmn 證言 /证言 (statement in court) · wa temognaedje (account of first-hand experience) · cmn 證詞 /证词 (statement in court) · es testimonio (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · grc μαρτύριον (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · tr ifade (statement in court) · ota شاهدلك (statement in court) · de Zeugnis (statement in court) · ru показа́ние (statement in court) · fi todistus (personal account of conversion) · hu tanújel (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · el μαρτυρία (account of first-hand experience) · az ifadə (statement in court) · nds-de Tüügnis (statement in court) · cs svědectví (statement in court) · be све́дчанне (account of first-hand experience) · he עדות \ עֵדוּת (statement in court) · pt testemunho (personal account of conversion) · bg свиде́телство (account of first-hand experience) · gd fianais (statement in court) · be паказа́нне (statement in court) · ga fianaise (statement in court) · grc μαρτυρία (account of first-hand experience) · ka ჩვენება (statement in court) · el δήλωση (account of first-hand experience) · hu tanúságtétel (personal account of conversion) · el κατάθεση (statement in court) · tl testimonyo (account of first-hand experience) · es testimonio (statement in court) · hy ցուցմունք (statement in court) · de Glaubenszeugnis (personal account of conversion) · fr témoignage (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · fa گواهی (statement in court) · fa شهادت (statement in court) · ang ġewitnes (statement in court) · ca testimoniatge (statement in court) · de Lebenszeugnis (personal account of conversion) · da bevis (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · la testimōnium (account of first-hand experience) · ang ġewitnes (account of first-hand experience) · hu tanúvallomás (statement in court) · ga fianaise (account of first-hand experience) · ro mărturie (account of first-hand experience) · cs svědectví (account of first-hand experience) · nl getuigenis (statement in court) · id kesaksian (statement in court) · hu jel (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · ja 物証 (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · nl getuigenis (account of first-hand experience) · gl testemuño (statement in court) · la testimōnium (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · hu bizonyság (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · fr témoignage (account of first-hand experience) · sk svedectvo (statement in court) · sv vittnesmål (statement in court) · ro depoziție scrisă (statement in court) · vi chứng cứ (statement in court) · ota طانقلق (statement in court) · ja 目撃 (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · fr témoignage (statement in court) · ja 証 (personal account of conversion) · vi bằng chứng (statement in court) · cmn 證言 /证言 (personal account of conversion) · gu સાક્ષી (personal account of conversion) · ota شاهدلك (account of first-hand experience) · de Aussage (statement in court) · de Zeugnisablegung (account of first-hand experience) · hu tanúskodás (account of first-hand experience) · az şahid ifadəsi (statement in court) · nb bevis (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · hu vallomás (statement in court) · got 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍄𐍅𐍉𐌳𐌴𐌹 (statement in court) · de Zeugenaussage (statement in court) · sh svjedočánstvo (account of first-hand experience) · pdt Bewiess (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · pl świadectwo (account of first-hand experience) · uk сві́дчення (account of first-hand experience) · ar إِفَادَة (statement in court) · fi todistajanlausunto (statement in court) · ca testimoni (statement in court) · ja 証拠 (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · ja 証 (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · nn forklåring (statement in court) · hu tanúbizonyság (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · de Bezeugung (account of first-hand experience) · de Testimonium (statement in court) · nrf têmoignage (statement in court) · es testimonio (account of first-hand experience) · sk výpoveď (statement in court) · ota طانقلق (account of first-hand experience) · kk түсінік (statement in court) · de Beweis (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · et tunnistus (statement in court) · fr témoignage (personal account of conversion) · vi chứng cớ (statement in court) · nn forklaring (statement in court) · arz شهادة (statement in court) · bg свидетелство (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · ar شَهَادَة (statement in court) · gd fianais (account of first-hand experience) · sv bevis (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · mi taunaki (statement in court) · ro declarație (statement in court) · pl zeznanie (account of first-hand experience) · ro depoziție (statement in court) · pt testemunho (witness; evidence; proof of some fact) · ja 証言 (statement in court) · ko 증언 (statement in court) · es testimonio (personal account of conversion) · it testimonianza (statement in court) · ota شهادت (account of first-hand experience) · bg показа́ние (statement in court) · uk показа́ння (statement in court) · sw ushuhuda (witness; evidence; proof of some fact)

wikipedia: testimony