witness
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: computing
databases
engineering
human-sciences
law
linguistics
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
textual-criticism
Etymology: From Middle English witnesse, from Old English ġewitnes, equivalent to wit + -ness. Cognate with Middle Dutch wetenisse (“witness, testimony”), Old High German gewiznessi (“testimony”), Icelandic vitni (“witness”).
Base: wit
Affixes: -ness
Inflected forms:
form: witnesses
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: witnesse
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: witneße
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: witnesses
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: witnessing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: witnessed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: witnessed
pos: verb
tags: past
form: witnesse
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: witneße
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: Attestation of a fact or event; testimony.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: She can bear witness, since she was there at the time.
May we, with the warrant of womanhood and the witness of a good conscience, pursue him with any further revenge?
We have as much witness from heaven as we need.
On another corner, stands an old style tenement building, whose dirty grey facade bears as much witness to the volume of exhaust fumes from millions of passing cars as it does to the age of the dwelling.
Nor do the formation and articulation of such knowledge themselves bear much witness to Geist.
Fleeing is giving witness, and those that plead against it are loath to give so much witness
Ob. 16 can show that every nation will get at least this much witness
gloss: One who sees or has personal knowledge of something.
pos: noun
tags: countable
examples: As a witness to the event, I can confirm that he really said that.
[…]thyself art witness— I am betrothed.
Upon my looking round, I was a witness to appearances which filled me with melancholy and regret.
Joolby saw that Mr. Bronsky had looked in by another door and been a witness of the last stage of the quarrel
gloss: Someone called to give evidence in a court.
pos: noun
tags: countable
examples: The witness for the prosecution did not seem very credible.
From the evidence of witnesses and of the recorded passing times, including the time at which the circuit breakers were tripped when the wires were brought down, the train was travelling at a speed of not less than 70 m.p.h.
gloss: One who is called upon to witness an event or action, such as a wedding or the signing of a document.
pos: noun
tags: countable
examples: The bridesmaid and best man at a wedding typically serve as the witnesses.
gloss: Something that serves as evidence; a sign or token.
pos: noun
tags: countable
examples: Laban said to Jacob, […] This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness.
gloss: A particular version of a text (seen as providing testimony of archetype or other earlier version)
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: Yet there are extremely few, if any, cases of preserved autographs, and textual witnesses (manuscripts) rather distant in time from the creation of the texts are the norm.
gloss: An additional database server instance used in failover scenarios to decide whether the mirror should take over.
pos: noun
tags: countable
examples: Automatic failover requires a witness, either a file share or a SQL Server witness (SQL Server Express may be used as a witness).
gloss: To furnish proof of, to show.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: This certificate witnesses his presence on that day.
round he throws his baleful eyes / That witness'd huge affliction and dismay
gloss: To take as evidence.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Depression often goes undetected until it is too late . Witness the recent White House suicide.
gloss: To see or gain knowledge of through experience.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: He witnessed the accident.
This is but a faint sketch of the incalculable calamities and horrors we must expect, should we be so unfortunate as ever to witness the triumph of modern infidelity
General Washington did not live to witness the restoration of peace.
In 1825, the first public railway carried passengers across the English countryside, setting in motion not just an engineering revolution, but an industrial one too. Imagine the awe and excitement of those first passengers as they boarded the train, unaware that they were witnessing the dawn of a new era.
gloss: To present personal religious testimony; to preach at (someone) or on behalf of.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Instead, Niebuhr's God was the God witnessed to in the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, the Bible of the Christian world.
gloss: To see the execution of (a legal instrument), and subscribe it for the purpose of establishing its authenticity.
pos: verb
examples: to witness a bond or a deed
Synonyms: certify
Derived words: adverse witness
bear false witness
bear witness
character witness
crown witness
expert witness
eye witness
eye-witness
eyewitness
fact witness
false witness
foundational witness
hostile witness
in witness whereof
Jehovah's witness
Jehovah's Witness
material witness
may God be my witness
star witness
turncoat witness
witness box
witness cam
witness camera
witness-consciousness
witness mark
witness protection
witness stand
witness tampering
zealous witness
Translations: