Other forms: testimonials
In marketing, a testimonial is a customer's own words used to persuade others. Customer testimonials, a glowing testimonial, collect testimonials.
They work because people trust other buyers more than sellers, and for the same reason they are constantly faked — which is why regulators now police them. A testimonial is also a formal written statement about somebody's character or quality, which is the older sense and close to a reference. In British sport, a testimonial is a match played to raise money for a long-serving player.
1nounmarketingA customer's own words used to persuade others.
“The company's website is full of testimonials from happy customers.”
2nountestimonialA written statement about somebody's quality.
“My old boss wrote me a glowing testimonial to support my job application.”
Latin testimonialis comes from testimonium, evidence, from testis, a witness. A testimonial is literally a witness statement, which is exactly what a customer review claims to be.
Latin
testimonialis — of or pertaining to testimony
French
testimonial
English, today
testimonial
From French testimonial, from Latin testimonialis (“of or pertaining to testimony”), from Latin testimonium (“testimony”). See testimony.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA