testimonio

See also: testimonió and testimoniò

English

Etymology

From Latin American Spanish testimonio (“testimony”).

Noun

testimonio (plural testimonios)

1. (sociology) A first-hand account of politically charged experiences; an oral history narrative.
   • 1988, Sommer D. "Not Just a Personal Story: Women’s Testimonios and the Plural Self". In: Schenck C, Brodzki B Life/Lines: Theoretical Essays on Women’s Autobiography. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press
   • 1989 (Spring), John Beverley "The Margin at the Center: On Testimonio (Testimonial Narrative)" MFS Modern Fiction Studies Volume 35, Number 1, pp. 11-28 doi:10.1353/mfs.0.0923

Usage notes

• Common in feminist and postmodern academic discourse.

Catalan

Verb

testimonio

1. first-person singular present indicative of testimoniar

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tes.tiˈmɔ.njo/
• Rhymes: -ɔnjo
• Hyphenation: te‧sti‧mò‧nio

Etymology 1

From Latin testimōnium, derived from testis.

Noun

testimonio m (plural testimoni, feminine testimonia) (archaic)

1. (law) testimony (statements made by a witness in court)

   Synonym: testimonianza

2. evidence, proof

   Synonym: prova

3. assertion, declaration, statement

   Synonyms: asserzione, dichiarazione

4. manifestation, sign

   Synonyms: manifestazione, segno

5. witness (one who sees or has personal knowledge of something)

   Synonym: testimone

6. (law) witness (one called to give evidence in a court)
7. (law) witness (one called upon to witness an event or action)
8. one that, through their authority on a subject matter, guarantees or confirms the truthfulness of a statement or hypothesis
9. (rare) living proof
10. (rare, bibliography) any manuscript or printed book through which a text has been transmitted
11. (geology) core (cylindrical sample of rock or other materials obtained by core drilling)

    Synonym: carota

12. (historical, bibliography, very rare) any text written in the first pages of a book, with the purpose of presenting or praising the author or the work

Adjective

testimonio (feminine testimonia, masculine plural testimoni, feminine plural testimonie) (very rare)

1. that demonstrates or proves (a physical phenomenon)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

testimonio

1. first-person singular present indicative of testimoniare

Further reading

• “testimonio”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Anagrams

• monoteisti, neotomisti

Latin

Noun

testimōniō

1. dative/ablative singular of testimōnium

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /testiˈmonjo/ [t̪es.t̪iˈmo.njo]
• Rhymes: -onjo
• Syllabification: tes‧ti‧mo‧nio

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *tri-

Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-

Proto-Indo-European *trito-sth₂-o-s

Proto-Italic *tristos

Latin *terstis

Latin testis

Proto-Indo-European *-mṓ

Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós

Proto-Italic *-ijos

Proto-Italic *-ios

Old Latin -ios

Latin -ius

Latin -mōnium

Latin testimōniumlbor.

Spanish testimonio

Learned borrowing from Latin testimōnium.

Noun

testimonio m (plural testimonios)

1. testimony
2. (archaic) witness
3. (archaic) baton

Derived terms

• falso testimonio
• testimonio vital

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

testimonio

1. first-person singular present indicative of testimoniar

Further reading

• “testimonio”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025