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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Witness \Wit"ness\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Witnessed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Witnessing}.]
1. 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. --R. Hall.
General Washington did not live to witness the restoration of peace. --Marshall.
2. To give testimony to; to testify to; to attest.
Behold how many things they witness against thee. --Mark xv. 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.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Witness \Wit"ness\, noun [AS. witness, gewitnes, from witan to know. [root]133. See {Wit}, verb (used without an object)]
1. Attestation of a fact or an event; testimony.
May we with . . . the witness of a good conscience, pursue him with any further revenge? --Shak.
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. --John v. 31.
2. That which furnishes evidence or proof.
Laban said to Jacob, . . . This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness. --Gen. xxxi. 51, 52.
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.'' --Shak.
Upon my looking round, I was witness to appearances which filled me with melancholy and regret. --R. Hall.
4. (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.
{Privileged witnesses}. (Law) See under {Privileged}.
{With a witness}, effectually; to a great degree; with great force, so as to leave some mark as a testimony. [Colloq.]
This, I confess, is haste with a witness. --South.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Witness \Wit"ness\, verb (used without an object) To bear testimony; to give evidence; to testify. --Chaucer.
The men of Belial witnessed against him. --1 Kings xxi. 13.
The witnessing of the truth was then so generally attended with this event [martyrdom] that martyrdom now signifies not only to witness, but to witness to death. --South.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
witness
noun
1: someone who sees an event and reports what happened [syn: {witnesser}, {informant}]
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" [syn: {spectator}, {viewer}, {watcher}, {looker}]
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 [syn: {attestant}, {attestor}, {attestator}]
5: (law) a person who testifies under oath in a court of law
verb
1: be a witness to
2: 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" [syn: {find}, {see}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
197 Moby Thesaurus words for "witness": TV-viewer, accessory, acknowledge, admission, adviser, affidavit, affirm, affirmation, allegation, allege, announce, announcer, annunciator, appear, argue, assertion, asseverate, asseveration, assister, attend, attest, attestant, attestation, attestator, attester, authority, authorization, aver, averment, avouch, avouchment, avow, avowal, be at, be present at, bear witness, behold, beholder, bespeak, betoken, bill of health, bird-watcher, bystander, catch, catch sight of, certificate, certificate of proficiency, certification, certify, channel, clap eyes on, cojuror, come to, communicant, communicator, compurgation, compurgator, confirmation, credential, declaration, defendant, depone, deponent, depose, deposition, descry, diploma, discern, disclose, disclosure, discover, distinguish, do, drugstore cowboy, earwitness, endorse, enlightener, espy, evidence, examinant, examinate, examinee, expert witness, eyewitness, gaper, gazer, gazer-on, girl-watcher, give evidence, glimpse, go to, goggler, gossipmonger, grapevine, have in sight, informant, information center, information medium, informer, instrument in proof, interviewee, ken, kibitzer, lay eyes on, legal evidence, litigant, litigationist, litigator, look on, look upon, looker, looker-on, make out, monitor, mouthpiece, navicert, newsmonger, notarized statement, note, notice, notifier, observe, observer, ogler, onlooker, panel, parties litigant, party, passerby, perceive, perceiver, percipient, pick out, plaintiff, press, profession, proof, public relations officer, publisher, questionee, quizzee, radio, recognize, reporter, see, seer, sheepskin, show up, sidewalk superintendent, sight, sit in, source, spectator, spectatress, spectatrix, spokesman, spot, spy, statement, subject, subscribe, suitor, swear, swearer, sworn evidence, sworn statement, sworn testimony, take in, televiewer, television, television-viewer, teller, testament, testamur, testifier, testify, testimonial, testimonium, testimony, ticket, tipster, tout, turn up, twig, video-gazer, view, viewer, visa, vise, visit, vouch, voucher, warrant, warranty, watch, watcher, word
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Witness More than one witness was required in criminal cases (Deut. 17:6; 19:15). They were the first to execute the sentence on the condemned (Deut. 13:9; 17:7; 1 Kings 21:13; Matt. 27:1; Acts 7:57, 58). False witnesses were liable to punishment (Deut. 19:16-21). It was also an offence to refuse to bear witness (Lev. 5:1).
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