Unit testing in the realm of software originated from the Smalltalk world, where a unit described the test suite for a class. That, with some liberty around the

Unit testing in the realm of software originated from the Smalltalk world, where a unit described the test suite for a class. That, with some liberty around the use of class in languages that are not class-centric, reflects the vast, vast, vast majority of tests I see out there in the wild. The reality is that unit testing swept the world and has become synonymous with testing. The days of yore when things like capture and replay testing were it are behind us. Today, it is uncommon for anyone to write anything other than unit tests (as originally defined). And that's why "unit testing" has become confusing. Its original meaning no longer serves a purpose. Today, we just call it "testing", leaving those who wish to continue to use "unit" for the sake of fashion to invent pet definitions; definitions not shared by anyone else.