Meaning of "witness" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD WITNESS

Old English witnes (meaning both testimony and witness), from witan to know, wit² + -ness; related to Old Norse vitni.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF WITNESS

witness  [ˈwɪtnɪs]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WITNESS

Witness is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb witness in English.

WHAT DOES WITNESS MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Witness

A witness is someone who has, who claims to have, or is thought, by someone with authority to compel testimony, to have knowledge relevant to an event or other matter of interest. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, either oral or written, of what he or she knows or claims to know about the matter before some official authorized to take such testimony. A percipient witness or eyewitness is one who testifies what they perceived through his or her senses. That perception might be either with the unaided human sense or with the aid of an instrument, e.g., microscope or stethoscope, or by other scientific means, e.g.,a chemical reagent which changes color in the presence of a particular substance. A hearsay witness is one who testifies what someone else said or wrote. In most court proceedings there are many limitations on when hearsay evidence is admissible. Such limitations do not apply to grand jury investigations, many administrative proceedings, and may not apply to declarations used in support of an arrest or search warrant.

Definition of witness in the English dictionary

The first definition of witness in the dictionary is a person who has seen or can give first-hand evidence of some event. Other definition of witness is a person or thing giving or serving as evidence. Witness is also a person who testifies, esp in a court of law, to events or facts within his own knowledge.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO WITNESS

PRESENT

Present

I witness

you witness

he/she/it witnesses

we witness

you witness

they witness

Present continuous

I am witnessing

you are witnessing

he/she/it is witnessing

we are witnessing

you are witnessing

they are witnessing

Present perfect

I have witnessed

you have witnessed

he/she/it has witnessed

we have witnessed

you have witnessed

they have witnessed

Present perfect continuous

I have been witnessing

you have been witnessing

he/she/it has been witnessing

we have been witnessing

you have been witnessing

they have been witnessing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I witnessed

you witnessed

he/she/it witnessed

we witnessed

you witnessed

they witnessed

Past continuous

I was witnessing

you were witnessing

he/she/it was witnessing

we were witnessing

you were witnessing

they were witnessing

Past perfect

I had witnessed

you had witnessed

he/she/it had witnessed

we had witnessed

you had witnessed

they had witnessed

Past perfect continuous

I had been witnessing

you had been witnessing

he/she/it had been witnessing

we had been witnessing

you had been witnessing

they had been witnessing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will witness

you will witness

he/she/it will witness

we will witness

you will witness

they will witness

Future continuous

I will be witnessing

you will be witnessing

he/she/it will be witnessing

we will be witnessing

you will be witnessing

they will be witnessing

Future perfect

I will have witnessed

you will have witnessed

he/she/it will have witnessed

we will have witnessed

you will have witnessed

they will have witnessed

Future perfect continuous

I will have been witnessing

you will have been witnessing

he/she/it will have been witnessing

we will have been witnessing

you will have been witnessing

they will have been witnessing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would witness

you would witness

he/she/it would witness

we would witness

you would witness

they would witness

Conditional continuous

I would be witnessing

you would be witnessing

he/she/it would be witnessing

we would be witnessing

you would be witnessing

they would be witnessing

Conditional perfect

I would have witness

you would have witness

he/she/it would have witness

we would have witness

you would have witness

they would have witness

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been witnessing

you would have been witnessing

he/she/it would have been witnessing

we would have been witnessing

you would have been witnessing

they would have been witnessing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you witness
we let´s witness
you witness

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to witness

Past participle

witnessed

Present Participle

witnessing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «WITNESS»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «witness» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of witness

attend · attestant · behold · beholder · bystander · corroborator · countersign · deponent · endorse · eyewitness · look on · looker-on · mark · note · notice · observe · observer · onlooker · perceive · see · sign · spectator · testifier · validate · view · viewer · watch · watcher

TRANSLATION OF WITNESS

Find out the translation of witness to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of witness from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «witness» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 证人
• Translator English - Spanish: testigo
• English: witness
• Translator English - Hindi: गवाह
• Translator English - Arabic: شَاهِد
• Translator English - Russian: свидетель
• Translator English - Portuguese: testemunha
• Translator English - Bengali: সাক্ষী
• Translator English - French: témoin
• Translator English - Malay: Saksi
• Translator English - German: Zeuge
• Translator English - Japanese: 目撃者
• Translator English - Korean: 증인
• Translator English - Javanese: Saksi
• Translator English - Vietnamese: nhân chứng
• Translator English - Tamil: சாட்சி
• Translator English - Marathi: साक्षीदार
• Translator English - Turkish: tanık
• Translator English - Italian: testimone
• Translator English - Polish: świadek
• Translator English - Ukrainian: свідок
• Translator English - Romanian: martor
• Translator English - Greek: μάρτυρας
• Translator English - Afrikaans: getuie
• Translator English - Swedish: vittne
• Translator English - Norwegian: vitne

10 QUOTES WITH «WITNESS»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word witness.

1

Saint Ambrose

Nothing escapes God's knowledge. This is proved by the witness of the Scriptures and the analogy of the sun, which, although created, yet by its light or heat enters into all things.

2

Alan Autry

A multi-purpose stadium is an absolute must in order to invigorate our downtown and, simultaneously, let the rest of the country witness that we can get things done.

3

Andrea Bocelli

Even in the most beautiful music there are some silences, which are there so we can witness the importance of silence.

4

James L. Buckley

Unfortunately, in today's world we have to be reminded that the power of an oath derives from the fact that in it we ask God to bear witness to the promises we make with the implicit expectation that He will hold us accountable for the manner in which we honor them.

5

George W. Bush

I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to come and witness my hanging.

6

Whittaker Chambers

A witness, in the sense that I am using the word, is a man whose life and faith are so completely one that when the challenge comes to step out and testify for his faith, he does so, disregarding all risks, accepting all consequences.

7

Whittaker Chambers

A man is not primarily a witness against something. That is only incidental to the fact that he is a witness for something.

8

Eduardo Chillida

Art is that which comes to a man, and stands between himself and an implacable witness: the work.

9

Shane Claiborne

Liturgy and worship were never meant to be confined to the cathedrals and sanctuaries. Liturgy at its best can be performed like a circus or theater - making the Gospel visible as a witness to the world around us.

10

William Kingdon Clifford

To consider only one other such witness: the followers of the Buddha have at least as much right to appeal to individual and social experience in support of the authority of the Eastern saviour.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WITNESS»

Discover the use of witness in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to witness and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Witness

In this story of a community on the brink of disaster, told through the haunting and impassioned voices of its inhabitants, Newbery Award winner Karen Hesse takes readers into the hearts and minds of those who bear witness.

Karen Hesse, 2013

The Witness

NORA ROBERTS' 200th BOOK! In her stunning new novel, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts proves why no one is better “when it comes to flawlessly fusing high-stakes suspense with red-hot romance" (Booklist, starred review).

Nora Roberts, 2012

Witness

The author recounts the forces that shaped his life, describes his involvement with the Communist Party, and explains the reasons for his identification of Alger Hiss as a Communist agent

Whittaker Chambers, 1987

The Fifth Witness

Connelly proves again why he "may very well be the best novelist working in the United States today" (San Francisco Chronicle).

Michael Connelly, 2011

Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black In Nazi Germany

This is a story of the unexpected.In Destined to Witness, Hans Massaquoi has crafted a beautifully rendered memoir -- an astonishing true tale of how he came of age as a black child in Nazi Germany.

Hans Massaquoi, 2009

EU Standards in Witness Protection and Collaboration with ...

This book presents the results of a study conducted for the European Commission, aimed at preparing legislative European initiative in the areas of both procedural and non-procedural witness protection and collaboration with justice.

Gert Vermeulen, 2005

Witness

The Protectors are back! From bestselling author Beverly Barton come the first two stories in this beloved series. Defending His OwnOnce Deborah Vaughn had loved Ashe McLaughlin with all of her teenage heart.

Beverly Barton, 2010

Witness for the Prosecution: A Play in Three Acts

Thriller / Characters: 8 male, 5 female Scenery: 2 Interiors Only Agatha Christie could have conceived such a suspenseful thriller and then capped it with an uncanny triple flip ending.

Agatha Christie, 1982

Witness

The story of Rivkah, a young Jewish shepherdess, who witnesses the angelic announcement of Christ's birth.

E. G. Lewis, 2009

The Only Living Witness: The True Story of Serial Sex Killer ...

""The Only Living Witness" towers over the rest of the Ted Bundy bookshelf . . . (as) a monument to book-length journalism" (Jack Olsen, author of "The Misbegotten Son").

Stephen G. Michaud, Hugh Aynesworth, 1999

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WITNESS»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term witness is used in the context of the following news items.

Jehovah's Witnesses 'hid' over 1000 sex-abuse cases

The Jehovah's Witnesses Church in Australia failed to report to police more than 1,000 cases of child sexual abuse going back more than 60 years, ... «New York Post, Jul 15»

Witness: Memphis man 'hogtied' by police hours before death after …

A Tennessee man died after a witness says police in northern Mississippi police "hogtied" him on a stretcher. Multiple news outlets report that 30-year-old ... «Fox News, Jul 15»

Witness in Asaram case shot at in Shahjahanpur

LUCKNOW: A witness in the sexual assault case against Asaram Bapu was shot at in Shahjahanpur late on Friday evening. He was rushed to district hospital ... «Times of India, Jul 15»

Witness: Man killed by police told officers 'shoot me'

FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2015, file photo, marchers carry photos of police shooting victim Antonio Zambrano-Montes during a rally in Pasco, Wash. A witness said ... «U.S. News & World Report, Jul 15»

Aaron Hernandez arraigned in witness intimidation case

BOSTON —Ex-New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez was in Boston courtroom Thursday to face a charge of trying to silence a witness in a double ... «WMUR Manchester, May 15»

Adnan Syed of 'Serial' podcast seeks chance to call alibi witness into …

The witness, Asia McClain, said in an affidavit that she was in a library with Syed when Lee was killed. 'Serial' subject Adnan Syed granted motion to appeal ... «New York Daily News, May 15»

New Witness Says He 'Saw Natalee Holloway on the Last Night She …

But now, a new witness has come forward, giving new hope that Holloway's ... The witness, Jurrien Dej Jong, tells Inside Edition that he was among the last ... «People Magazine, May 15»

New indictment says Aaron Hernandez shot double-homicide …

Bradley is believed to be a witness to the homicides of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, and prosecutors say Bradley was shot by Hernandez after he made ... «CNN, May 15»

Charges dismissed in devastating Rim Fire because of witness deaths

In the motion filed Friday, the government says two witnesses have died since the indictment was filed in August 2014. One of them was identified as "critical to ... «News10.net, May 15»

'Bernie' case prosecutor seeks recusal, says he's a witness

CARTHAGE, Texas — The Texas district attorney who was to prosecute for a second time the man whose murder conviction inspired the movie “Bernie” has ... «Dallas Morning News, Mar 15»