Etymology : Middle English witnesse, from Old English witnes knowledge, testimony, witness, from 2wit
Pronunciation : wit-n&s
Function : noun
Date : before 12th century
1. testifier; onlooker, bystander; eye-witness; testimony. look on, see, observe; testify, vouch for, corroborate; be an eye-witness; note, notice. witness\wit"ness\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. witnessed ; p. pr. & vb. n. witnessing.].
2. to see:
or know by personal presence; to have direct cognizance of. this is but a faint sketch of the incalculable calamities and horrors we must expect, should we ever witness the triumphs of modern infidelity. hall. general washington did not live to witness the restoration of peace.
3. to give testimony to; to testify to; to attest. behold how many things they witness against thee.
4. 3. (law) to see:
the execution of, as an instrument, and subscribe it for the purpose of establishing its authenticity; as, to witness a bond or a deed.witness \wit"ness\ , n. [as. witness, gewitnes, from witan to know. ?133. see:
wit, v. i.].
5. attestation of a fact or an event; testimony. may we with the witness of a good conscience, pursue him with any further revenge? if i bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. v.
6. 2. that which furnishes evidence or proof. laban said to jacob, this heap be witness, and this pillar be witness. xxxi. 51,.
7. 3. one who is cognizant; a person who beholds, or otherwise has personal knowledge of, anything; as, an eyewitness; an earwitness. "thyself art witness i am betrothed." upon my looking round, i was witness to appearances which filled me with melancholy and regret. hall.
8. (law) (a) one who testifies in a cause, or gives evidence before a judicial tribunal; as, the witness in court agreed in all essential facts. (b) one who sees the execution of an instrument, and subscribes it for the purpose of confirming its authenticity by his testimony; one who witnesses a will, a deed, a marriage, or the like.
9. Attestation of a fact or an event; testimony.
10. That which furnishes evidence or proof.
11. One who is cognizant; a person who beholds, or otherwise has personal knowledge of, anything; as, an eyewitness; an earwitness.
12. One who testifies in a cause, or gives evidence before a judicial tribunal; as, the witness in court agreed in all essential facts.
13. One who sees the execution of an instrument, and subscribes it for the purpose of confirming its authenticity by his testimony; one who witnesses a will, a deed, a marriage, or the like.
14. To see:
or know by personal presence; to have direct cognizance of.
15. To give testimony to; to testify to; to attest.
16. To see:
the execution of, as an instrument, and subscribe it for the purpose of establishing its authenticity; as, to witness a bond or a deed.
17. To bear testimony; to give evidence; to testify. testimony by word or deed to your religious faith someone who sees an event and reports what happened a person who attests to the genuineness of a document or signature by adding their own signature a person who testifies under oath in a court of law be a witness to perceive or be contemporaneous with; "We found Republicans winning the offices"; "You'll see:
a lot of cheating in this school"; "I want to see:
results"; "The 1960 saw the rebellion of the younger generation against established traditions"; "I want to see:
results".
18. 1. A witness to an event such as an accident or crime is a person who saw it. Witnesses to the crash say they saw an explosion just before the disaster No witnesses have come forward.
19. If you witness something, you see:
it happen. Anyone who witnessed the attack should call the police = see:
20. A witness is someone who appears in a court of law to say what they know about a crime or other event. In the next three or four days, eleven witnesses will be called to testify.
21. A witness is someone who writes their name on a document that you have signed, to confirm that it really is your signature.
22. If someone witnesses your signature on a document, they write their name after it, to confirm that it really is your signature. Ask a friend to witness your signature.
23. If you say that a place, period of time, or person witnessed a particular event or change, you mean that it happened in that place, during that period of time, or while that person was alive. India has witnessed many political changes in recent years = see:
24. If a person or thing bears witness to something, they show or say that it exists or happened. Many of these poems bear witness to his years spent in India and China.