Witness

Definition: Witness

Witness

Noun

1. Someone who sees an event and reports what happened.

2. A close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind); "the spectators applauded the performance"; "television viewers"; "sky watchers discovered a new star".

3. Testimony by word or deed to your religious faith.

4. (law) a person who attests to the genuineness of a document or signature by adding their own signature.

5. (law) a person who testifies under oath in a court of law.

Verb

1. Be a witness to.

2. Perceive with any or all of one's senses; "We found Republicans winning the offices"; "You'll see a lot of cheating in this school"; give rise to or be characterized by; "The 1960 saw the rebellion of the younger generation against established traditions"; "I want to see results".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "witness" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Note: Witness \Wit"ness\, noun. [Anglo-Saxon witness, gewitnes, from witan to know. See Wit, verb. i.]. (references)

Bible

Dream Interpretation

Law

Math

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Witness

Affirmation

Depose, depone, aver, avow, avouch, asseverate, swear; make oath, take one's oath; make an affidavit, swear an affidavit, put in an affidavit; take one's Bible oath, kiss the book, vow, vitam impendere vero; swear till one is black in the face, swear till one is blue in the face, swear till all's blue; be sworn, call Heaven to witness; vouch, warrant, certify, assure, swear by bell book and candle.

As God is my witness, I must say, indeed, i' faith, let me tell you, why, give me leave to say, marry, you may be sure, I'd have you to know; upon my word, upon my honor; by my troth, egad, I assure you; by jingo, by Jove, by George; troth, seriously, sadly; in sadness, in sober sadness, in truth, in earnest; of a truth, truly, perdy, in all conscience, upon oath; be assured; (belief); yes; (assent); I'll warrant, I'll warrant you, I'll engage, I'll answer for it, I'll be bound, I'll venture to say, I'll take my oath; in fact, forsooth, joking apart; so help me God; not to mince the matter.

Completeness

On all accounts;sous tous les rapports; with a vengeance, with a witness.

Deceiver

Liar; (lie; ); story-teller, perjurer, false witness, menteur a triple etage, Scapin; bunko steerer, carpetbagger, capper, faker, fraud, four flusher, horse coper, ringer, spieler, straw bidder.

Detraction

Verb: detract, derogate, decry, deprecate, depreciate, disparage; run down, cry down; backcap; belittle; sneer at; (contemn); criticize, pull to pieces, pick a hole in one's coat, asperse, cast aspersions, blow upon, bespatter, blacken, vilify, vilipend; avile; give a dog a bad name, brand, malign; muckrake; backbite, libel, lampoon, traduce, slander, defame, calumniate, bear false witness against; speak ill of behind one's back.

Evidence

Witness, indicator, hostile witness; eyewitness, earwitness, material witness, state's evidence; deponent; sponsor; cojuror.

Bear witness; Noun: give evidence; Noun: testify, depose, witness, vouch for; sign, seal, undersign, set one's hand and seal, sign and seal, deliver as one's act and deed, certify, attest; acknowledge; (assent).

Adverb: by inference; according to, witness, a fortiori; still more, still less; raison de plus; in corroboration; n. of; valeat quantum; under seal, under one's hand and seal.

Adduce, attest, cite, quote; refer to, appeal to; call, call to witness; bring forward, bring into court; allege, plead; produce witnesses, confront witnesses.

Falsehood

Verb: be false; Adjective:, be a liar; speak falsely; adVerb: tell a lie; lie, fib; lie like a trooper; swear false, forswear, perjure oneself, bear false witness.

Greatness

Greatly; Adjective: much, muckle, well, indeed, very, very much, a deal, no end of, most, not a little; pretty, pretty well; enough, in a great measure, richly; to a large extent, to a great extent, to a gigantic extent; on a large scale; so; never so, ever so; ever so dole; scrap, shred, tag, splinter, rag, much; by wholesale; mighty, powerfully; with a witness, ultra, in the extreme, extremely, exceedingly, intensely, exquisitely, acutely, indefinitely, immeasurably; beyond compare, beyond comparison, beyond measure, beyond all bounds; incalculably, infinitely.

Indication

Badge, criterion; countercheck, countermark, countersign, counterfoil; duplicate, tally; label, ticket, billet, letter, counter, check, chip, chop; dib; totem; tessera, card, bill; witness, voucher; stamp; cacher; trade mark, Hall mark.

Promise

Assure, warrant, guarantee; covenant; attest; (bear witness).

Adjure, administer an oath, put to one's oath, swear a witness.

Tribunal

Justice seat; judgment seat, mercy seat; woolsack; bar of justice; dock; forum, hustings, bureau, drumhead; jury box, witness box.

Crosswords: Witness

And with your dying breath, you will bear witness to the End of Days (End of Days; writing credit: Andrew W. Marlowe)

You can interrogate the witness, and I'll just growl (Men in Black II; writing credit: Lowell Cunningham; Robert Gordon)

A very worthy sum on a very worthy question. Can a play show us the very truth and nature of love? I bear witness to the wager, and will be the judge of it as occasion arises (Shakespeare in Love; writing credit: Marc Norman; Tom Stoppard)

No, no, no. I'm going to leave them alone and not actually witness them dying (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery; writing credit: Mike Myers)

He's badgering the witness! (Liar Liar; writing credit: Paul Guay; Stephen Mazur)

I've got a witness happy to say (Every Heartbeat; performing artist: Amy Grant)

He was sitting in the witness stand (Brown Eyed Handsome Man; performing artist: Chuck Berry)

You own the money, you control the witness, (Notorious; performing artist: Duran Duran)

Trespasser and a witness while you cling on your pillow (It Wasn't Me; performing artist: Shaggy)

Bare Witness (2002)

Tales That Witness Madness (1973)

Clouds of Witness (1972)

Secret Witness (1972)

Witness to Yesterday (1970)

Witness Waltz (performing artist: Kristoph Klover)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

References

• Witness Systems, Inc.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference)

  (more reference examples)

Books

• Faithfulness and Holiness: The Witness of J. C. Ryle: An Appreciation (reference)

• The Albino Stag Witness (reference)

• Word Without End: The Old Testament As Abiding Theological Witness (reference)

• Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution (reference)

• No Crueler Tyrannies: Accusation, False Witness, and Other Terrors of Our Times (reference)

  (more book examples)

Periodicals

• Catholic Witness (reference)

• Lutheran Witness (reference)

• Restoration Witness (reference)

• Utah-idaho Southern Baptist Witness (reference)

• Witness (reference)

  (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies

• Lord Peter Wimsey - Clouds of Witness (reference)

• Witness (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Key Witness (reference)

• Star Witness (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech

• Hidden Camera Solutions RW-100 Remote Witness Single-Cam Video Capture Card in Black and White (reference)

  (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Wild T -2 observations Note witness post. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

Conservation of our natural resources ensures that future generations will be able to witness the wonders of nature first hand. Birdwatching. Credit: Robert G. Price.

Witness air and sea power demonstrations from the flight deck of USS Saratoga (CVA-60), in the Atlantic Ocean, May 1969. Photographed by PH3 Philip J. Fraga. Credit: NAVY.

Underway in company with USS Augusta (CA-31), in left front, off Cape Sable, Nova Scotia, on August 1941. Augusta had President Franklin D. Roosevelt embarked to witness Long Island's operations. Among the other ships present are USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37), partially visible at far right, and USS Meredith (DD-434), steaming astern of Long Island. Credit: NAVY.

Scene in a New Hampshire court.--General Pierce examining a witness. Scene in a New Hampshire village.--Pierce the good Samaritan. Credit: Library of Congress.

Questioning the woman witness before the jury. Credit: Library of Congress.

Who stole the tarts?] The first witness was the Hatte. Credit: Library of Congress.

First witness in investigation of U.S. Tariff Commission. Credit: Library of Congress.

Anne and Charles Lindbergh on the witness stand / World-Telegram staff photo. Credit: Library of Congress.

Petersburg, Va. Federal troops drawn up to witness a hanging. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Amendment V. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. (reference)

If the legislature should change that rule, and declare one witness, or a confession out of court, sufficient for conviction, must the constitutional principle yield to the legislative act? (reference)

Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. (reference)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Witness this very time

It is the peculiarity of sublime spectacles that they take possession of every soul, and make of every witness a spectator

Then be your eyes the witness of their evil

I was witness to events of a less peaceful character

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

People who witness a non-convulsive seizure often find it difficult to understand that behavior which looks deliberate is not under the person’s control. (references)

Business

It is expected that other traditional sectors of the travel industry, such as car rentals and hotels, will witness tremendous growth in online bookings over the next four years. (references)

Cattle-rearing equipment offers a mixed picture for the year 2000. Both the milk and meat categories of the bovine sector are expected to witness increase in the demand for equipment. (references)

With the gradual recovery of the Taiwan real estate market, the general imported security systems sector may also witness an increase in demand, especially for construction projects of high-end residential buildings. (references)

Children

Malaysia

This poses special problems for molestation cases in which the child victim is the only witness. (references)

Hong Kong

A child witness information kit in Chinese, with books explaining legal and court proceedings, also has been published to help reduce children's anxiety about testifying. (references)

Civil Liberties

Tunisia

Zoughah was convicted on the basis of a single witness whom the Government could not produce in court. (references)

Economic History

Moldova

Generally, Moldovans have yet to witness serious price battles among competing brands and stores. (references)

India

The Indian Information Technology (IT) industry continued to witness a rapid growth for the sixth consecutive year. (references)

Marshall Islands

Other Christian denominations include Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, Mormon, Salvation Army, and Jehovah's Witness. (references)

Human Rights

Georgia

The police can hold a witness for 12 hours without being charged. (references)

Ukraine

There is a witness protection law, but it is in abeyance because of lack of funding. (references)

India

Partha Majumdar was a witness to an alleged police shooting that left one person dead. (references)

Indigenous People

Venezuela

On July 16, four members of the Pume indigenous people in Apure state were killed during an apparent effort to take control of the land they occupied, according to a Pume witness. (references)

Minorities

Georgia

On May 12, a private residence used for gatherings in Tbilisi's Samgori district and occupied by a Kurdish Jehovah's Witness family was burned to the ground; 11 family members escaped unharmed. (references)

Italy

Press accounts of the police investigation reported that a principal witness offered conflicting versions of the killing; societal prejudice against Roma may have been a factor in the conviction. (references)

Political Economy

Mexico

Foreign "visitors" have also been welcomed to witness Mexican elections. (references)

Trade

Qatar

As a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Qatar may witness long-promised reforms in some economic/commercial fields, including trade regulations and international standards as well as foreign investments in the near future. (references)

Portugal

Nevertheless, Portuguese banks remain relatively small by European standards and the next few years could witness considerable cross-border integration within the EU. An effort by the Portuguese Government to limit Spanish ownership in the Champalimaud group of banks has prompted criticism from the European Union. (references)

Women

Ecuador

Women may file complaints against a rapist or an abusive spouse or companion only if they produce a witness. (references)

Ireland

In rape cases, the State brings the case against the accused, with the complainant (victim) acting as a witness. (references)

Indonesia

A witness also is required in order to prosecute for rape, and only in rare cases can a witness be produced, according to legal experts. (references)

Worker Rights

Finland

The law includes provisions for witness protection, although no specific program initiates and regulates such policies. (references)

Albania

The absence of a witness protection program also impeded the Government's ability to build strong cases against traffickers. (references)

Macedonia

Victims were encouraged to provide information about their traffickers for criminal prosecution; however, there was no witness protection legislation to protect victims. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

The witness of the Lord

My witness

The witness of the Lord

My witness

People of witness

Witness

Witness of God

The heap of witness

Heap of witness

Witness

Expressions using "witness": 4. witness summons or witness order (when addressed to witnesses) ♦ adverse witness ♦ auricular witness ♦ bear false witness ♦ bear false witness against ♦ bear witness ♦ bear witness of ♦ bear witness to ♦ bear witness to a fact ♦ bearing false witness ♦ buy off a witness ♦ call to witness ♦ character witness ♦ chief witness ♦ contemporary witness ♦ crown witness ♦ ear witness ♦ except a witness ♦ expert witness ♦ false testimony by an expert witness ♦ false witness ♦ give witness ♦ Global Witness ♦ hostile witness ♦ in witness whereof ♦ jehovahs witness ♦ Jehovah's Witness ♦ key witness ♦ lay witness ♦ marriage witness ♦ material witness ♦ ocular witness ♦ perjury by an expert witness ♦ subscribing witness ♦ swear a witness ♦ tamper with a witness ♦ to witness ♦ with a witness ♦ witness a document ♦ witness against ♦ witness box ♦ witness for prosecution ♦ witness for the defence ♦ witness for the prosecution ♦ witness of his time ♦ witness of the Spirit ♦ witness point ♦ witness stand ♦ witness to ♦ witness whereof/in. Additional references.

Beginning with "witness": witness-bearing, witness-box, witness-lists.

Ending with "witness": ear-witness, eye-witness, fellow-witness, king-witness, vital-witness.

Afrikaans

bywoon (attend, be present). (various references)

Albanian

shoh (behold, catch a glimpse of, catch sight of, descry, eye, give a look, look, overlook, see, sight, view), provoj (assay, attest, demonstrate, deprive, essay, establish, experience, fit on, make good, manifest, presume, pretend, prove, sample, savor, savour, show, substantiate, suffer, taste, test, try, try on, try out, validate, venture), provë (assay, audition, averment, demonstration, evidence, experiment, fact, fitting, flier, prill, probation, prolusion, proof, reasoning, rehearsal, run through, rush, school, seal, sign, substantiation, taste, tasting, test, touch, trial, try, try on, try out), kaloj (alternate, beguile, come by, come round, cross, cut, devolve, elapse, exceed, float, get by, glide, go, go by, go off, go past, negotiate, outbalance, overstep, pass, passage, ram, run, run in, rush by, skip, slip by, slip past, span, spend, strain, take across, track, transcend, transgress, turn, undergo), jetoj (be alive, belong, dwell, exist, grow, inhabit, live, Lodge, reside, see the light), jam dëshmitar, dëshmoj (bear witness, evidence, indicate, infer, testify), dëshmitar (attestor, deponent, eyewitness, spectator), dëshmi (attestation, bill, certificate, certification, deposition, document, evidence, licence, license, muniment, policy, proof, sign, testimonial, testimony). (various references)

Arabic 

شهادة (testimony), ‏الشاهد, ‏شهادة (attestation, certificate, certification, credentials, debenture, degree, deposition, diploma, evidence, paper-qualification, show, testification, testimonial, testimony, testiness, ticket, token), ‏شهد (assist, attend, bear witness, certificate, evidence, testify), ‏شاهد (attestation, behold, evidence, see, sight, telltale, text, view), ‏دلى بشهادته (testify). (various references)

Bulgarian 

свидетелствувам (attest, speak to, testify, vouch), свидетелство (certificate, diploma, document, testimonial, testimony, ticket, warrant), свидетелски показания (testimony), свидетел (attestor, bystander, evidence, eyewitness, testifier, third person), виждам с очите си, очевидец съм на, очевидец (beholder, eyewitness), заверявам (attest, authentication), присъствувам на, показвам (demonstrate, denote, dial, disclose, display, evince, exhibit, give, indicate, manifest, present, proclaim, protrude, read, register, show, show around, signify, stick, tell, trot), показания, доказвам (argue, aver, demonstrate, establish, evidence, evince, manifest, proclaim, prove, reason, show, substantiate, vindicate), доказателство (averment, demonstration, object lesson, piece of evidence, proof, seal, showing, telltale, testimony, verification, vindication), давам показания (testify). (various references)

Chinese 

證人 , 证人 (Attestation), 見證人 , 見證 (testimony). (various references)

Czech

svìdek, svìdectví (attestation, authority, evidence, indication, testimonial, testimony), svìdèit při, být svìdkem. (various references)

Danish

vidneudsagn (deposition, statement by witness), vidnets edsaflæggelse (oath taken by witness), vidne,der er lovligt indkaldt (witness who has been duly summoned), underskrive som vitterlighedsvidne (to witness), udeblevet vidne (defaulting witness), til bekraeftelse heraf (in witness whereof, wherefore), protokol,hvori vidnets forklaring optages (minutes in which the evidence of each witness is reproduced), overtrædelse,der består i,at et vidne eller en sagkyndig skjuler eller fordrejer virkeligheden af kendsgerninger (misconduct of a witness or expert who has concealed facts of falsified evidence), oejenvidne (eye witness), ny indkaldelse af vidnet (further summons served on the witness, further summons to be served on the witness), kronvidne (chief witness), et vidnes eller en sagkyndigs uegnethed (not competent to act as witness or expert), der gives vidnet mulighed for at gennemlæse protokollatet og underskrive det (witness must be given an opportunity to check the content of the minutes and to sign them), bevidnelsessted (witness point), bekraeftelsespunkt (witness point). (various references)

Dutch

getuige (present one). (various references)

Esperanto

atestanto, ĉeesti (attend, be present). (various references)

Faeroese

vera hjástaddur (attend, be present). (various references)

Finnish

vieras mies, todistaja, todistaa (attest, bear witness, bear witness of, demonstrate, give evidence, prove, testify). (various references)

French

témoin. (various references)

Frisian

bywenje (attend, be present). (various references)

German

Zeuge (voucher, wittness). (various references)

Greek 

μαρτυρώ (attest, attest to, bear witness to, testify, vouch). (various references)

Hebrew 

לחתום כע�", ל�"יות ע�" ל-, ל�"עי�" (affirm, attest, aver, bear witness, give evidence, testify, vouch, warn), ש�"�". (various references)

Hungarian

tanú (test, Testa). (various references)

Indonesian

saksi (deponent, testimony), penyaksi, menyaksikan (testify, watch), mempersaksikan (testify, watch). (various references)

Italian

testimonio, testimoniare (attest, depose, record, sire, testify, witnesses), testimonianza (attestation, certificate, demonstration, deposition, diploma, evidence, proof, testimony), testimone (deponent), teste (heads), spettatore (audience, beholder, bystander, onlooker, spectator, spectators, viewer), constatare (ascertain, establish, note, observe, take, take note), autenticare (authenticate, certify), assistere a (attend). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

証人　, 証人 , 証左 (evidence, proof), 立会人 (observer), 目�'�者 (eye-witness), 目�'� , 引き合い (comparison, deal, reference), 引合い (comparison, deal, reference), 引合 (comparison, deal, reference). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

たちあいに�" (observer), しょうさ (checking against, difference in wins, evidence, examining by reference, lieutenant commander, major, proof, slight difference, verification, wing commander), しょうに�" (acknowledgement, advancement, agreement, approval, child, consent, holy priest, merchant, promotion, recognition, saint, shopkeeper, small person, trader), ひきあい (comparison, deal, reference), もく�'きしゃ (eye-witness), もく�'き (pantomime). (various references)

Korean 

증인 (Voucher). (various references)

Manx

feanish (deponent, evidence, testimony), fakin (behold, envisage, scenery, see, spot, view). (various references)

Papiamen

testigu, testigo, presensiá (attend, be present), asistí (abet, accomodate, aid, assist, attend, be present, help). (various references)

Pig Latin

itnessway.(various references)

Polish

być obecni (attend, be present). (various references)

Portuguese

testemunha (attestant, certification, evidence, eyewitness, friend, spectator). (various references)

Romanian

trãda (bespeak, betray, deceive, disclose, evince, give away, Mark, rat, reveal), probã (alloy, argument, assay, attempt, audition, check up, control, event, examination, exemplar, go, instance, pattern, probation, proof, sample, specimen, test, trial, try, verification), martor (second, stander-by, voucher), mãrturisi (acknowledge, admit, affirm, assert, avouch, avow, confess, confide, declare, unbosom), mãrturie (demonstration, evidence, proof, testimony, token), legalizare, fi prezent ca martor la, fi martor la, dovedi (accomplish, argue, attest, authenticate, aver, confirm, demonstrate, educe, establish, evidence, evince, furnish evidence of, make good, make out, manifest, overbear, prove, show, substantiate, verify), dovadã (argument, certificate, demonstration, document, eduction, evidence, example, exercise, instance, Mark, patent, proof, seal, sign, token, vestige), confirma (acknowledge, affirm, bear out, confirm, corroborate, establish, fortify, homologate, justify, receipt, sanction, strengthen, validate, verify, vouch), certifica (acknowledge, attest, authenticate, certify, legalise, legalize), atesta autenticitatea, atesta (attest, certify, confirm, testify into), adeveri (acknowledge, attest, avouch, certify, confirm, corroborate, fortify, justify, seal, substantiate, test, testify, verify, vouch, warrant). (various references)

Russian 

свидетельствовать свидетель (witnesses), свидетель (affiant, attestor, bystander, deponent, eyewitness, onlooker, witnesser), засвидетельствовать (testify), быть свидетелем, понятой, доказательство (averment, demonstration, evidence, internal evidence, proof, prover, substantiation, vindication). (various references)

Scottish

fianuis (a witness, evidence, testimony). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

svedok (deponent, eyewitness), prisustvovati (attend, sit in), posvedočiti (vouch), očevidac (beholder, eyewitness, eye-witness, looker on). (various references)

Spanish

testigo (baton). (various references)

Swedish

vittne (deponent), vittna (give evidence, testify), bevittna (attest, testify, testyfy). (