witnessn.
/ˈwɪtnᵻs/, U.S. /ˈwɪtnᵻs/ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > [noun]
righteousnesseOE
snoterc950
witnessc950
wisdomOE
insightc1175
witc1175
smeighnessc1200
sleighta1300
witternessa1300
inwitc1305
wittiheadc1315
wisenessc1320
witterheda1325
wisehede1340
slyness1357
sapience1377
wisdomhood138.
prudencea1382
sapienta1400
sentencec1400
advice?a1439
sophyc1440
profunditya1500
wittiness1543
Minerva1601
depth1605
Sophia1649
visionariness1817
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > scholarly knowledge, erudition > [noun]
learningc897
wisdomc950
witnessc950
lore971
clergya1225
wit1297
apprise1303
gramaryec1320
clergisea1330
cunning1340
lering1340
sciencea1387
schoola1393
studya1393
art?a1400
cunningnessa1400
leara1400
sophyc1440
doctrinec1460
mathesisa1475
grammarc1500
doctorship1567
knowledge1576
scholarship1579
virtuosoship1666
erudition1718
eruditenessa1834
Wissenschaft1834
savantism1855
scholarment1896
the world > space > place > presence > [noun] > person or thing that is present > one called upon to be present
witnessc950
c950 in J. Stevenson Rituale Ecclesiæ Dunelmensis (1840) 194 Fore wisdom vel witnes ðæs biscop..propter scientiam episcopi.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 507 He sal..wenden iewes..To ðe wittenesse of iesus crist.
c1380 J. Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 225 Whanne a symple man seiþ a treuþe, we trowen it not for he seiþ it,..but Crist is man of greet witnesse.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Prov. viii. 5 Vnderstondeth, ȝee litle childer, witnesse [a1425 L.V. wisdom; L. astutiam].
1433 Rolls of Parl. V. 435/1 The connyng and witnes that resten in his persone.
1482 Monk of Evesham 27 His owne seyng that he had tolde before to a few persons of wytnesse [L. perpaucis arbitris].
2. † b. The action or condition of being an observer of an event. Obsolete.† d. In some versions of the Bible: = testimony n. 4. Obsolete.
a. Attestation of a fact, event, or statement; testimony, evidence; †evidence given in a court of justice. See also sense Phrases 2.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > [noun] > evidence given, testimony
witnessc950
proof?c1225
witnessingc1330
evidencea1387
probacyc1460
probation?a1475
testimonial?a1475
testimony?a1475
testimonage1483
testamentc1485
conjecture1526
fact?1531
trial1532
teste1567
suffragy1571
attest1609
probate1610
testa1616
testate1619
discovery1622
constat1623
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > evidence > [noun] > testimony or statement of witness
witnessc950
testimony?a1475
testisa1483
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xv. 19 Falsa testimonia, leasa witnesa.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 13 Ne spec þu aȝein þine nexta nane false witnesse.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 10 Þou ne sselt zigge none ualse wytnesse aye þine emcristen.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16280 His aun muth nu has him dempt, o wijtnes es na nede.
1483 in G. Neilson & H. Paton Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1918) II. Introd. p. cviii The Lordis..ordanis the witnes now takin to be closit.
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Chron. (1812) II. clxi. 446 If nede be I shall proue it by the wytnesse of hymselfe.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts x. 43 To hym geveth all the prophetes witnes.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 John v. 9 Yf we receave the witnes of men, the witnes of god is gretter.
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice i. iii. 98 An euill soule producing holy witnes Is like a villaine with a smiling cheeke. View more context for this quotation
1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. ⁋6 That language [sc. the Greek] was fittest to containe the Scriptures, both for the first Preachers..to appeale vnto for witnesse [etc.].
1660 Exact Accompt Trial Regicides 157 It is not that I would invalidate his witness.
1739 Bp. J. Butler Serm. in Wks. (1874) II. 221 They are to make their choice, and abide by it: but which soever their choice be, the gospel is equally a witness to them; and the purposes of Providence are answered by this witness of the gospel.
1866 Duke of Argyll Reign of Law vii. 360 Nature is called as a witness, and then the witness she gives is condemned.
1870 J. R. Lowell My Study Windows 11 There is the most trustworthy witness to the imitative propensity of this bird.
1881 B. Jowett tr. Thucydides Hist. Peloponnesian War I. 7 Agamemnon..if the witness of Homer be accepted, brought the greatest number of ships himself.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > [noun] > witnessing
witness?c1225
autopsy1607
witnessing1855
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 55 Wið uten witnesse of mon oðer of wimmon ne speke ȝe naut to longe wið nan mon bute þet me i here.
c1400 Brut ccxxxii. 319 He was bound by othe afor notaries in presence and witnes of tho kynges.
c. Applied to the inward testimony of the conscience; after 2 Corinthians 1:12.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > [noun] > evidence given, testimony > based on conscience
witnessa1340
a1340 R. Rolle Psalter v. 12 Witnes þaire awn consciens and accusand þaim.
c1450 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi ii. vi. 46 The joye of a gode man is þe witnes of a gode conscience.
c1480 (a1400) St. Mary of Egypt 175 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 301 Hafand his consciens vytnes how he in þat tyme liffand vas.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) iv. ii. 193 May we with..the witnesse of a good conscience, pursue him with any further reuenge? View more context for this quotation
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > Testament > Old Testament > [noun] > Mosaic dispensation > decalogue > inscribed on stone
witnessinga1340
witness1530
1530 Bible (Tyndale) Exod. xxxviii. f. lxxiv This is the summe of the habitacyon of witnesse.
1530 Bible (Tyndale) Exod. xxxviii. f. lxxii The tabernacle of witnesse.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Kings xi. 12 He..set a crowne vpon his heade, and toke the witnes, and made him kynge.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Kings xxiii. 4 That they shulde walke after the Lorde, and to kepe his commaundementes, witnesses, and ordinaunces.
3. Testimony by signature, oath, etc. Chiefly in in (rarely †into) witness of, witness hereof, witness whereof, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > evidence > [noun] > testimony or statement of witness > by signature or oath
witness1338
1338 R. Mannyng Chron. (1725) 214 Þe chartre was forth brouht with wittnes enseled streit [Fr. Le rays..mette sun sel en testmoynaunce].
1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. ii. 75 In witnesse of whuche þing wrong was þe furste..In þe Date of þe deuel þe Deede was aselet.
1388 in J. H. Ramsay Bamff Charters (1915) 22 In the wetness of the forsayd partysyng Willame, Jon, [etc.].
1410 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 17 In wytnesse of þis dede I haue set þerto me sel.
c1450 Godstow Reg. 38 Into witnesse of this he put to his seale.
c1450 Godstow Reg. 48 To the whyche wrytynge hys seel I-put to is wytnes.
1525 in J. W. Clay Testamenta Eboracensia (1902) VI. 12 In wittenes whereof..I..haith setto my seale.
1550 in C. Rogers Rental Bk. Cupar-Angus (1880) II. 76 In witnes of the quhilk to this present writ, subscriuit with our handis.
a1639 R. Hutton 1st Pt. Young Clerks Guide (1649) 258 In witnesse whereof &c. I do hereunto set my hand and seal.
1871 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest IV. xvii. 27 The land was received as a fresh grant, which needed the writ and seal of King William as its witness.
4. uninflected plural.c1440 Generydes 1510 He bad hym goo..To the Sowdon, and telle hym the processe, And he wold be on of his cheff witnesse.1483 in G. Neilson & H. Paton Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1918) II. Introd. p. civ The Lordis..ordanis him to have letters to summond his witnes, and the party to here thame suorn.c1533 T. Cranmer Let. 21 July in Remains (1833) I. 44 That he hath divers witness, which could make manifest depositions concerning the matter.1535 in T. Wright Three Chapters Lett. Suppression Monasteries (1843) 33 Your owne confession in thes lettres, besides the wittnes which ar against you, wolbe sufficient to condemne yow.1726 J. Swift Cadenus & Vanessa 7 The Pleader having spoke his best, Had Witness ready to attest.
a. One who gives evidence in relation to matters of fact under inquiry; spec. one who gives or is legally qualified to give evidence upon oath or affirmation in a court of justice or judicial inquiry. hostile witness, one who gives evidence adverse to the party by whom he is called. ultroneous witness, see ultroneous adj. b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > [noun] > a witness, testifier
witec900
witnessc950
witnessman10..
proofc1380
witnesserc1400
record1408
recorderc1425
test1528
testor1570
attestator1598
attester1598
testator1602
suffragator1606
testimoner1607
testifier1611
voucher1612
suffragant1613
testate1619
sponsor1651
testee1654
vouchee1654
adducer1681
testificator1730
circumstantiator1858
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > evidence > [noun] > a witness
witnessc950
witnessman10..
proofc1380
witnesserc1400
recorderc1425
evidencer1593
evidence1594
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxvi. 60 Falsi testes, lease vel lycce witnesa.
c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 74 Þei wolen..brynge many false witnesses & notaries in his absence, & in presence speke no word.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 19419 Tua wittnes fals þai þam puruaid, To tell he had o godd missaid.
a1400 Cato's Distichs (Fairf.) l. 1 in R. Morris Cursor Mundi (1878) III. App. iv. 1669 If þou be made wittenesse, for to say þat soþ is saue þine honour als mikil as þou mai fra blame.
1583 Sir T. Smith's De Republica Anglorum ii. xv. 61 Witnesses be sworne, & hearde before them [sc. the jury]..openly.
1622 J. Taylor Sir Gregory Nonsence in Wks. (1630) ii. 4/2 Truth must be found, and witnesses produced.
1628 E. Coke 1st Pt. Inst. Lawes Eng. 6 b When a tryall is by witnesses, regularly the affirmative ought to be proued by two or three witnesses... But when the tryall is by verdict of 12. men, there the iudgement is not giuen vpon witnesses.
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xxvi. 146 A Judge..ought to take notice of the Fact, from none but the Witnesses.
1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. May (1965) I> 409 False Wittnesses are much cheaper than in Christendom.
1814 J. West Alicia de Lacy IV. 251 Many witnesses attested that he had borne arms.
1827 Ryan & Moody Cases Nisi Prius 31 (margin) In an action by executors, a paid legatee is a competent witness to increase the estate.
1848 E. C. Gaskell Mary Barton II. xvii. 254 How did you like standing witness? Ar'n't them lawyers impudent things, staring at one so?
1867 J. J. S. Wharton Law-lexicon (ed. 4) Hostile witness.
1883 D. C. Murray Hearts xii It was certainly an odd chance which would throw them together in a police-court as barrister and witness.
1885 M. E. Braddon Wyllard's Weird i ‘You can show that to the Coroner,’ he said; ‘of course, you will be a witness.’ ‘About the only one necessary, I should think’, said the doctor. ‘I saw her fall.’
b. transferred and figurative.
ΚΠ
a1340 R. Rolle Psalter xxiv. 11 Þai [sc. the prophets and evangelists] ere witnes of his hightynge.
1578 H. Wotton tr. J. Yver Courtlie Controuersie 213 If you doubt thereof histories and fables with one voyce are witnes of my saying.
1594 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus v. i. 103 Well let my deeds be witnes of my worth. View more context for this quotation
1635 D. Dickson Short Explan. Hebrewes xii. i. 284 The Examples of God's Saynctes in Scripture, should stand as Witnesses agaynst vs, if wee run not as becommeth.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 317 Why shouldst not thou..thy trial choose With me, best witness of thy Vertue tri'd. View more context for this quotation
1781 W. Cowper Heroism 81 Sweet nature..stands a witness at truth's awful bar, To prove you, there, destroyers as ye are.
1853 F. D. Maurice Prophets & Kings Old Test. vi. 91 This prophet..is a true witness for the Lord God of Israel.
5. † b. A sponsor or godparent at baptism. Obsolete.Originally in Puritan use.
a. One who is called on, selected, or appointed to be present at a transaction, so as to be able to testify to its having taken place: spec. one who is present at the execution of a document and subscribes it in attestation thereof; more definitely, attesting or subscribing witness.Often in formulæ corresponding to medieval Latin teste me ipso, teste rege, his testibus, etc., Anglo-Norman tesmoin…
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal document > [noun] > attestation of document > one who
witnessa1122
instrumentary witnessc1600
attester1837
attestant1880
a995 in Thorpe Charters (1865) 288 Her cyþ on þysum gewrite hu Wynflæd gelædde hyre gewitnesse.]
a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 656 Ic bidde þe broðer Æðelred & mine swustre Cyneburh & Cynesuuith..þet ge beon witnesse & þæt geo hit write mid iure fingre.
a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 675 Ic Theodorus ærcebiscop of Cantwarbyrig am witnesse of þas gewrite.
1258 Proclam. Henry III in Trans. Philol. Soc. (1868–9) 21 Witnesse vs seluen [Fr. Tesmoin Meimeismes] æt Lunden' þane Eȝtetenþe day on þe Monþe of Octobr'.
c1290 Beket 836 in S. Eng. Leg. 130 Ich was with him er wel inov..Þare ne tok ich no witnesse of þat us was bitweone.
a1450 Knt. de la Tour xxxiv Ye are suoren to God and to youre husbonde atte the chirche dore afore witnesse that ye shalle neuer breke it.
c1450 Godstow Reg. 51 These beyng witnesse, Robert of Wytham, Sire walter, [etc.].
1463 Irish Act 3 Edw. IV c. 32 We have done to be made these oure lettres patentes Oureself beying witnesse.
1494 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 239 Item, the foure witnes [of the execution] expensis in Edinburgh,.. xl s.
1525 in J. W. Clay Testamenta Eboracensia (1902) VI. 13 Thies wittenesses, Thomas Beamont, [etc.].
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida iii. ii. 194 Go to a bargaine made, seale it,..ile bee the witnes . View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iv. 388 But come-on, Contract vs fore these Witnesses . View more context for this quotation
1629 W. Prynne Church of Englands Old Antithesis 89 Seuerall witnesses..auerre it vnder their hands and seales.
1631 B. Jonson Staple of Newes v. ii. 9 in Wks. II I haue your Deed... Is't not A perfect Act? and absolute in Law? Seal'd and deliuer'd before witnesses?
1664 in Extracts State Papers (Friends' Hist. Soc.) (1912) 3rd Ser. 228 This..wee haue made bold to Certefie Witnesse our hands this First day of December.
1710 O. Sansom Acct. Life 73 He..threatned me before Witness, That if I did not pay him, I must expect to go to Prison.
1729 T. Innes Crit. Ess. Anc. Inhabitants Scotl. I. 177 As 'tis clear by many ancient charters, and chiefly by the donors and witnesses in the chartularies of our monasteries.
1754 in Minutes of Evid. Nairne Peerage (1873) 53 in Sessional Papers House of Lords (H.L. A) XII. 65 James Fullarton merchant in Edinburgh and the sd John Strathie who also subscribe as witnesses.
1754 in Vesey Reports (1793) I. 11 Whether Testator's declaration before three witnesses, that it is his will, is equivalent to signing it before them.
1759 J. Lauder Decisions Lords of Council & Session 1678–1712 I. 722 The communers and witnesses present, who fortify and adminiculate the same.
1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) xvii. 178 We find his name in the parish register, as a witness to the marriage of Maria Lobbs to her cousin.
1839 E. W. Lane tr. Thousand & One Nights I. i. 76 (note) These words, ‘I give myself to thee’, uttered by a woman to a man, even without the presence of witnesses,..render her his lawful wife if [etc.].
1856 Rep. Court Queen's Bench 4 452 The execution of the will by the testator and by the other two subscribing witnesses.
1858 Ld. St. Leonards Handy Bk. Prop. Law xviii. 141 The statute requires the witnesses to attest and subscribe the will.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > parent > [noun] > godparent
gossip1014
spiritual parent1526
witness1597
godparent1693
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lxiv. 156 In the phrase of some kinde of men they vse to be termed witnesses, as if they came but to see and testifie what is done. It sauoureth more of pietie to giue them their old accustomed name of fathers and mothers in God.
1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre i. iii. 6 in Wks. II He was Witnesse, for Win, here, (they will not be call'd God-fathers) and nam'd her Winne-the-fight.
1643 T. Hope Diary (1843) 188 This day I wes witness to ane barne of the Lord Balgonies, callit Agnes.
1653 H. More Antidote against Atheism in Coll. Philos. Writings (1712) iii. ix. §2 115 Four days before this mischance he being witness to a Child, said, that that was the last he should be ever witness to.
1837 J. F. Palmer Gloss. in M. Palmer Dialogue Devonshire Dial. To Witness or to Stand Witness to, to stand sponsor to a child in baptism.
6. figurative.1780 W. Cowper Progress of Error 174 Then to the dance, and make the sober moon Witness of joys that shun the sight of noon.† c. Referring to, usually introducing, the designation of an authority for a statement. (Cf. sense 7b.)
a. One who is or was present and is able to testify from personal observation; one present as a spectator or auditor. (Cf. ear-witness n., eyewitness n.) Usually with of, occasionally to.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > [noun] > a witness, testifier > who saw something
witness?c1225
eyewitness1539
ocular witness1570
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > [noun] > a witness, testifier > who heard something
witness?c1225
ear-witness1539
auricular witness1642
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 116 Nan þing nis witnesse of god þet me þenne deð bute godes engel.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Heb. xii. 1 Forsothe and we hauynge so greet a cloud of witnessis [Gk. νέϕος μαρτύρων, L. nubem testium] put to.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 19004 Fra ded to lijf nu risen es he, And þar-of wittnes all ar wee.
c1400 Rule St. Benet (prose) 39 [They shall] make þaire peticiun, and bi-fore whitnes offir þaire childir.
c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Gilbert xxxvi. 113 Þe Pope sayde a..sermon of þe holynesse and þe myracles of Seynt Gilbert, rehersing þe witnes þere present.
1474 W. Caxton tr. Game & Playe of Chesse (1883) iii. iv. 113 This lyar coude not brynge no wytnessis.
1495 Act II Hen. VII c. 10 §2 ij witnesses or moo that woll witnesse and testefie the seid payment.
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1546) sig. B.vv They were witnesse by syght, and not by heryng of other.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry V f. xxxv Because I was nether a witnes of the facte, nor present at the deede I ouerpasse that matter.
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. John vi. 66–71 Speciall witnesses and bruters abrode, of al the thynges that he wroughte.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccclxv No man might haue accesse to him, nor speake wt him without a witnesse.
a1593 C. Marlowe Tragicall Hist. Faustus (1604) sig. B 2. Scholar. Why, didst thou not say thou knewst? Wagner. Haue you any witnesse on't? 1. Scholar. Yes sirra, I heard you.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) ii. iii. 9 Faine would mine eyes be witnesse with mine eares, To giue their censure. View more context for this quotation
1682 J. Norris tr. Hierocles Golden Verses 37 But had they no witness? I omit God..but had they not themselves, and the testimony of Conscience?
1708 F. Atterbury 14 Serm. 134 Those Miracles being perform'd in the Desert, without any Witnesses, but what were of that Nation.
1717 A. Pope Fable of Dryope in Wks. 278 I saw, unhappy! what I now relate, And stood the helpless witness of thy fate.
1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 142. ⁋13 He is magnificent without witnesses.
1795 W. Paley View Evidences Christianity (ed. 3) II. ii. ix. 247 It was the credit given to original witnesses, appealing for the truth of their accounts to what themselves had seen and heard.
1811 J. Austen Sense & Sensibility II. xiii. 248 Before such witnesses he dared not say half what he really felt. View more context for this quotation
1824 W. Irving Tales of Traveller II. ii. viii. 12 I will endeavour to act as if she were witness of my actions.
1842 T. Wright Biogr. Brit. Lit.: Anglo-Saxon Period 467 Turgar..in his youth had been a witness of the destruction of the abbey.
1855 J. S. C. Abbott Hist. Napoleon I. xxiii. 367 I have been twenty times witness to the singular effect which the sound of a bell had upon Napoleon.
1860 F. W. Robinson Grandmother's Money v The inhabitants of Blackman's Gardens..were witness to one of the..scenes.
1863 A. P. Stanley Lect. Jewish Church I. xviii. 391 ‘He judged Israel all his life:’ even after the Monarchy had sprung up, he [sc. Samuel] was still a witness of an earlier and more primitive state.
b. In asseverative formulæ, in which a deity or a human being is invoked as one who is cognizant of a fact; as God is my witness, be my witness that... Most often in to call or take to (†one's) witness: to call upon or appeal to as one's surety; to swear by.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > bear witness, testify [verb (intransitive)] > call to witness
to call or take to (one's) witness1297
to draw, take to warrantc1330
to call (also take) to recorda1393
to call to suretya1616
obtest1650
to call on ——1655
the mind > language > statement > assertion or affirmation > [phrase] > with reference to God
God wot?c1225
wot Christ?c1225
God is my witness1297
the mind > language > statement > assertion or affirmation > [verb (transitive)] > swear an oath or take an oath > call upon or appeal to
to call or take to (one's) witness1297
c1200 Vices & Virtues 73 Ȝif he godd hafð to iwitnesse ðat he mid hlutter herte hit doð.]
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 6934 Ich clupie god to witnesse..Þat ȝif ich of eni gulti am þat ich mote þoru þis fure Brenne..& perissy.
c1386 G. Chaucer Pardoner's Tale 155 The hooly writ take I to my witnesse That luxurie is in wyn and dronkenesse.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17496 Þat soth it es We tak drightin til vr wittnes.
14.. T. Hoccleve Min. Poems xvi. 10 And so wolde I, god take I to witnesse!
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Esdras ii. 5 I call vpon the for a wytnesse ouer the mother of these children, which wolde not kepe my couenaunt.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. xcix I take firste God to my witnesse, and afterwarde all the worlde, that I haue been at all tymes..true man.
1555 in J. Strype Eccl. Memorials (1721) III. App. xlv. 133 God is my Wytnes, that my Harte wyll not suffer me..to declare suche vyle Reportes.
1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades vii. 123 To which (if so it needefull is) I Ioue to witnesse call.
1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets cxxiv. sig. H2v To this I witnes call the foles of time, Which die for goodnes, who haue liu'd for crime. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) iv. ii. 121 Heauen be my witnesse you doe. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 635 For me, be witness all the Host of Heav'n, If counsels different, or danger shun'd By me, have lost our hopes. View more context for this quotation
1700 J. Dryden tr. G. Boccaccio Sigismonda & Guiscardo in Fables 138 That I have lov'd, I own; that still I love, I call to Witness all the Pow'rs above.
1833 H. Martineau Loom & Lugger ii. i. 3 He had so often emphatically taken his neighbours to witness that he was weaving.
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop i. xxv. 232 The tall boy..called those about him to witness that he had only shouted in a whisper.
1851 C. Kingsley Yeast xiii Though, God's my witness, there's no spite in me for my own sake.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > [noun] > basis of testimony, authority
witnessc1386
authoritya1400
credit1531
c1386 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋274 They been deceyued that seyn that they ne be nat tempted in hir body, witnesse on [v.r. of] Seint Iame the Apostel.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 14791 Quar-of was born þe king daui, þat es þe tun of bethleem, þe bok it wittnes for to tem.
c1440 Sir Gowther 117 The chylde throfe and..The duk sent after other sex, As wetnesse the storie.
1486 in Surtees Misc. (1890) 54 Shewing the rose to be principall of all floures, as witnesh Barthilmew.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiv. 171 Lord, this is sothe, securely, Wytnes the profett Isay.
1567 Compend. Bk. Godly Songs (1897) 42 [Jesus Christ] Sinnaris onlie Saluatioun, As witnes is thy word in write.
7.
a. figurative. Something that furnishes evidence or proof of the thing or fact mentioned; an evidential mark or sign, a token.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > [noun] > evidence given, testimony > piece of
tokenOE
witnessa1325
samplec1380
argumentc1384
weda1400
reporta1425
testimonial1495
notea1555
testimony1597
vouchera1616
attestate1630
manifesto1644
deposition1648
vouchee1657
testatur1702
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3843 To sen gode wittnesse ðor-on Ðat wond was in ðat arche don.
c1380 J. Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 428 For freris..suspect in þis heresye, men schulden not comyne wiþ hom bifore þei schewid þo fayth by sufficyent wittenes.
1414 26 Pol. Poems xiii. 94 Lete werk be witnes ȝe can ȝoure Crede.
1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie ii. iii. 33 For better witnesse of the antiquitie thereof, the inhabitaunts..doe..call all these old ruines Paleopolys.
1594 W. Hervey Epicedium Lady Helen Branch sig. A2 Whose death was witnesse of her spotlesse life.
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lxviii. 183 Our kneeling..is the gesture of pietie..what doth better beseeme our bodies..then to bee sensible witnesses to minds vnfainedly humbled?
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing ii. iii. 45 It is the witnesse still of excellencie, To put a strange face on his owne perfection. View more context for this quotation
1601 W. Cornwallis Ess. II. xxvii. sig. P2 They..smelt of oyle the witnesse of an vnmanlike effeminate nicenesse.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iv. iii. 98 Vpon the which [graves], I trust Shall witnesse liue in Brasse of this dayes worke. View more context for this quotation
1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini Ragguagli di Parnasso (1674) ii. xxii. 170 [He bade them] remove away that unfortunate Witness of their ingratitude from the eyes of the World.
1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering III. xii. 245 Now wipe these witnesses from your eyes.
1860 N. Hawthorne Transformation II. xix. 218 Italian asseverations.., however true they may chance to be, have no witness of their truth in the faces of those who utter them.
1871 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest IV. xvii. 82 Gifts yet more costly were now the witness of his personal presence.
b. Introducing a name, designation, phrase, or clause denoting a person or thing that furnishes evidence of the fact or exemplifies the statement. Also as witness, and, in early use, †witness on. (After Latin teste…, French témoin…)
ΚΠ
c1386 G. Chaucer Second Nun's Tale 277 Witnesse [L. testis est] Tyburces and Cecilies shrifte.
c1386 G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale 95 Pardee we wommen konne no thyng hele, Witnesse on Myda, wol ye heere the tale.
c1394 P. Pl. Crede 528 Wytnesse on Wycliff þat warned hem wiþ trewþe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11788 Bot we ne wrick þe wisliker, þe wark of him sua mai we dred, Als wittnes on vr eldres dede.
c1420 J. Lydgate Assembly of Gods 366 Ioyntly to her Mercurius tooke hys see As came to hys course—wytnesse the zodyak.
1598 F. Meres Palladis Tamia 281 b The sweete wittie soule of Ouid liues in mellifluous..Shakespeare, witnes his Venus and Adonis.
1616 A. Champney Treat. Vocation Bishops 24 The wisest, and greatest clarkes haue erred, as witnesse the laps of Tertullian, Origen, and Lucifer.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iii. xv. 192 Nature oftentimes recompenceth deform'd bodies with excellent wits. Witnesse Æsop.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 503 When Night Darkens the Streets, then wander forth the Sons of Belial... Witness the Streets of Sodom. View more context for this quotation
1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 906 Dal. In argument with men a woman ever Goes by the worse... Sam. For want of words no doubt, or lack of breath, Witness when I was worried with thy peals.
1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 713 And novels (witness ev'ry month's review) Belie their name, and offer nothing new.
1852 W. M. Thackeray Henry Esmond II. ii. 39 The strange barbarous French, which she and many other fine ladies of that time—witness Her Grace of Portsmouth—employed.
1868 T. H. Key Philol. Ess. 249 What progress is visible there is chiefly due to the energy of German, not French, scholarship, as witness the valuable collection of Greek authors that has proceeded from the press of Didot.
c. spec. In textual criticism, a manuscript or an early version which is regarded as evidence of authority for the text. (Usually in plural.)
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > literary and textual criticism > textual criticism > version of text > [noun] > early version as evidence of authority
witness1853
1853 Scrivener Collation MSS. Holy Gospels Introd. i. p. xiii The very rough and unsatisfactory process of counting the number of witnesses produced in behalf of each [reading].
1870 W. Urwick tr. Bleek Introd. New Test. II. 305 By comparing the received text with Greek MSS. of the N.T. and other witnesses.
1926 G. W. S. Friedrichsen Gothic Version of Gospels 194 Wherever the Codex [Argenteus] simulates the Vulgate text, the majority of Old Latin witnesses go with it.
d. Technical uses (see quots.; cf. French témoin).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > earthwork or rampart > [noun] > construction of > earth excavated and left standing
witness1802
society > communication > book > leaves or pages of book > [noun] > leaf > types of leaf
title sheet1615
interleaf1741
end-paper1818
flyleaf1832
inlay1877
witness1880
end-leaf1905
blank1952
1802 C. James New Mil. Dict. Witnesses. In fortification. (See Temoins.) [Temoins, Fr. In civil and military architecture, are pieces of earth left standing as marks or witnesses in the fosses or places which the workmen are emptying, that they may know..how many cubical fathoms of earth have been carried.]
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 763 If any silver be produced it must be deducted from the assay. This is called the witness.
1880 J. W. Zaehnsdorf Art of Bookbinding Gloss. Witness, when a volume is cut so as to show that it has not been so cut down, but that some of the leaves have still rough edges. These uncut leaves are called ‘Witness’.
8.
a. One who testifies for Christ or the Christian faith, esp. by death; a martyr. Obsolete except as literal rendering of Greek μάρτυς martyr n.The reference in Revelation 11:3 is much disputed; see, e.g., Vigouroux Dict. de la Bible at Témoins.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > martyrdom > [noun] > one who undergoes
martyrOE
witness1382
sufferer1722
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Rev. xi. 3 And I shal ȝiue to my two witnesses, and thei shulen prophecie a thousynd dayes two hundrid and sixty.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Celebr. Holye Communion f. xviv Whose prayse this daye, the yong innocentes thy witnesses hath confessed and shewed forth..in dying.
1557 New Test. (Geneva) Acts xxii. 20 And when the bloud of thy wytnes [margin. or, Martyr] Steuen was shed, I also stode by.
1637 S. Rutherford Let. in Joshua Redivivus (1671) 128 One of the softest pillowes Christ hath, is laid under his witnesses head.
1689 J. Evelyn Diary (1955) IV. 636 My L. S. Asaph attributing the Killing of the two Witnesse<s>, to the utter destruction of the Cevenes Protestants.., &..the Waldenses & Pyrennean Christians.]
b. = Jehovah's Witness at Jehovah n. 2 originally U.S.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > sect > Christianity > other sects and movements > Jehovah's Witness > [noun]
witness1931
Jehovah's Witness1933
1931 Watchtower 15 Oct. 316/2 If any one does become fearful and ceases to be a witness, he ceases to be of the remnant and of God's anointed or Christ.
1935 Time 18 Nov. 59/1 By last week 28 Witnesses of Jehovah had popped up in the U.S. public schools. Cora Foster..faced dismissal after confessing that she, too, was a Witness.
1974 Watchtower 15 Jan. 56/1 Suddenly, under religious animosity, the young man whipped out a knife and stabbed the Witness to death.
1980 R. Hill Spy's Wife ii. 8 Charity collectors went away happy, and..even Mormons and Witnesses had got enough courtesy to bring them back.
Phrases
P1. † b. to stand in witness: to act as a witness. Scottish. Obsolete.
a. in witness: as a testimony or piece of evidence. Now rare or Obsolete except as in sense 3.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > [adverb] > as testimony
in witnessc950
witnessinga1300
testea1845
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. viii. 4 In cyðnisse vel witnesa.
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) ix. 5 Þonne ge of þære ceastre gað, asceacað eower fota dust ofer hig on witnesse.]
a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) xlii. 110 In witnesse of wche þinges we habbez don maken þues oure opene lettres.
1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. viii. 95 In two lynes hit lay..And was I-writen riht þus In witnesse of treuþe.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 34 In tokne and in witnesse That ilke ymage bar liknesse Of man and of non other beste.
1528 W. Tyndale Briefe Declar. Sacraments a ij b They cast vp an heape of stones in wytnesse & called it Gylyad: ye heape of wytnesse.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iii. ii. 1 Hang there my verse, in witnesse of my loue. View more context for this quotation
1657 Earl of Monmouth tr. P. Paruta Politick Disc. 113 Venice doth at this day enjoy many great priviledges, in witness of her great worth and singular merit.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > evidence > give evidence [verb (intransitive)] > act as witness
to stand in witness1516
depose1529
depone1640
evidence1656
1516 Reg. Privy Seal Scotl. I. 422/2 The king..rehablis the said Johne and Johne to stand in preif and witnes.
P2. to bear witness: (of a person, a book, etc.) to give oral or written testimony or evidence; hence figurative to furnish or constitute evidence or proof; to testify, witness to (occasionally of). to bear (one) witness: to corroborate one's statement or be a witness of one's action. (Cf. Old Norse bera vitni, Old French porter temoin.)
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > bear witness, testify [verb (intransitive)]
to bear (one) witnesslOE
witne?c1225
to bear witnessinga1300
to bear recordc1330
testimonyc1330
testify1377
witnessc1380
recordc1400
militatec1600
suffragate1620
testate1624
depone1640
attest1672
rap1728
certify1874
certificate1907
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1127 He wæs an hæfod ða að to swerene & witnesse to berene þær ða eorles sunu of Normandi & þes eorles dohter of Angeow wæron totwemde.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 12616 I barr to þe leode. Wittness off himm. þatt he wass wiss. Crist godess sune.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 6604 Ich habbe his munekes..þat sculleð witnesse beren eowe alle biuoren.
1303 R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne 2356 Certys þefte ryȝt wykked ys Whan þe dede bereþ wytnes [Fr. Pus qe ceo tesmoine le mort].
c1325 Spec. Gy Warw. 412 Þe godspel þerof bereþ witnesse.
1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 3612 Þus may saules, als þe buke beres wytnes, By helpyd by way of rightwysnes.
c1385 G. Chaucer Legend Good Women Prol. 527 Hire white coroun beryth of it witnesse.
1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. xx. 29 Þre persones parcel-mele departable from oþer, And alle þre bote o god; thus abraam bereþ wittnesse.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 12582 Als lucas vs sais þe gospelere, þat wittnes lel es wont at bere.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6820 Tak þou noght wit tunge leier, Ne fals wittenes for felun ber.
1426 Anc. Deed A. 10383 (P.R.O.) This endentur tripartitit beres wittenes that [etc.].
c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Gilbert xxxvi. 113 Þe archbischop of Reymes was þere present..and bare witnesse of þe holy lyf of Seynt Gilbert.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 259 The pepill so wickit ar of feiris, The frutles erde all witnes beiris.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) John viii. f. cxxxij I am won that beare witnes off my sylfe, and my father that sent me beareth witnes off me.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. i. 68 O earth, beare witnes to this sound, And crowne what I professe with kinde euent If I speake true. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) iv. iv. 78 In veritie you did, my bones beares witnesse, That since haue felt the vigor of his rage. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) iv. iv. 91 God and the Rope-maker beare me witnesse, That I was sent for nothing but a rope. View more context for this quotation
1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 239 In seeking just occasion to provoke The Philistine..Thou never wast remiss, I bear thee witness . View more context for this quotation
1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer iii. 56 I can bear witness to that.
1839 F. A. Kemble Jrnl. Resid. Georgian Plantation (1863) 59 Her dress..bore witness to a far more improved taste.
1841 W. M. Thackeray Great Hoggarty Diamond x To speak of heaven..and to bring it to bear witness to the lie in his mouth.
1842 Ld. Tennyson St. Simeon Stylites in Poems (new ed.) II. 59 And I, in truth (thou wilt bear witness here) Have all in all endured as much.
1876 E. Mellor Priesthood ii. 59 The striking witness which he [sc. Judas] bore to the innocence of the Lord.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > imitation > imitate [verb (transitive)] > follow a person as an example
followOE
suec1300
counterfeitc1374
to take witness by (also of)c1400
take1544
borrow1549
personate1612
c1400 Anturs Arth. 165 (Thornton) Thus am I lyke to Lucefere, takis witnes by mee.
c1400 Anturs Arth. 273 (Thornton) Takes witnes by Fraunce.
a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Cock & Fox l. 596 in Poems (1981) 27 Tak witnes of the feyndis infernall, Quhilk houndit doun wes fra that heuinlie hall To hellis hole.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > investigate, examine [verb (transitive)]
underseekc897
speerc900
lookeOE
askOE
seeOE
teem witnessc1200
seeka1300
fand13..
inquirec1300
undergoc1315
visit1338
pursuea1382
searcha1382
examinec1384
assay1387
ensearchc1400
vesteyea1425
to have in waitc1440
perpend1447
to bring witnessc1475
vey1512
investigate?1520
recounta1530
to call into (also in) question1534
finger1546
rip1549
sight1556
vestigatea1561
to look into ——1561
require1563
descry?1567
sound1579
question1590
resolve1593
surview1601
undersearch1609
sift1611
disquire1621
indagate1623
inspect1623
pierce1640
shrive1647
in-looka1649
probe1649
incern1656
quaeritate1657
inquisite1674
reconnoitre1740
explore1774
to bring to book1786
look-see1867
scrutate1882
to shake down1915
sleuth1939
screen1942
c1200 Moral Ode (Trin. Coll. MS.) 108 Elch man sal þar biclepien himselfen and ec demen Hic [read his] oȝen werc and his þanc to witnesse he sal temen.
c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 12 In how many gret casis may it be, þat now regniþ in þe kirk synful marchondise; bryng to witnes; examyn þe sawis; discusse þe dedis.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > attest, bear witness [verb (transitive)] > call to witness
to take witness of1390
vouchc1412
record1590
attest1609
to swear downa1616
appeal1645
to take up1821
invoke1851
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 66 For this witnesse I take of god, that my corage Hath ben mor siek than my visage.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 22583 (MED) I take witnes of saint austine, þat tellis how þis werlde sal fine.
a1500 in J. O. Halliwell Nugæ Poeticæ (1844) 38 I take wyttenesse of Davyd kyng and at Salomon the wyse, That a woman for a litulle thyng ofte change hir servyse.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xxvii. sig. Ff6 I take witnes of the gods (who neuer leaue periuries vnpunished) that I often cried out against their impudency.
P6. with a witness: with clear evidence, without a doubt, ‘with a vengeance’, ‘and no mistake’. Obsolete or rare (archaic).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > assured fact, certainty > making certain, assurance > of course, certainly [phrase]
to iwissea1000
mid iwissea1000
in wisc1000
to wis(se)c1000
without(en (any) weenc1175
sans fail1297
thereof no strife1297
but werea1300
forouten werea1300
out of werea1300
without werea1300
without deceit1303
for certainc1320
it is to wittingc1320
withouten carec1320
without nayc1330
without noc1330
without (but out of) dread1340
no doubtc1380
without distancec1390
no fresea1400
out of doubta1400
without doubta1400
for, (in, at obs.), of, to (a) certaintyc1400
withouten stance14..
hazel woods shakea1413
of, on, in warrantisec1440
sure enough?1440
without question?1440
wythout diswerec1440
without any dispayrec1470
for (also of) a surety?a1475
in (also for) surenessa1475
of certainc1485
without any (also all) naya1500
out of question?1526
past question?1526
for sure1534
what else1540
beyond (also out of, past, without) (all) peradventure1542
to be a bidden by1549
out of (also without) all cry1565
with a witness1579
upon my word1591
no question1594
out of all suspicion1600
for a certain1608
without scruple1612
to be sure1615
that's pos1710
in course1722
beyond (all) question1817
(and) no mistake1818
no two ways about it (also that)1818
of course1823
bien entendu1844
yessiree1846
you bet you1857
make no mistake1876
acourse1883
sans doute1890
how are you?1918
you bet your bippy1968
1579–80 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 98 French Camarick Ruffes, deepe with a witnesse, starched to the purpose.
1609 J. Davies Humours Heau'n on Earth 246 For now we sinne (yea with a witnesse sinne, Witnesse our conscience).
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) v. i. 110 Here's packing with a witnesse to deceiue vs all. View more context for this quotation
a1641 R. Montagu Acts & Monuments (1642) vi. 82 He was sent; but with a witnesse, as the saying is, to destroy.
1670 T. Brooks Wks. (1867) VI. 198 That man is cursed with a witness that is cursed by Christ himself!
1690 J. Locke 2nd Let. Toleration in Wks. (1727) II. 270 The French King requires all his Subjects to come to Mass: Those who do not, are punished with a witness.
1718 M. Prior Alma i, in Poems Several Occasions (new ed.) 336 Gall is bitter with a Witness.
1816 W. Hazlitt Polit. Ess. (1819) 103 Here's a levelling rogue for you! The world turned inside out, with a witness!
1829 W. Scott Anne of Geierstein II. xi. 334 To every other person about her she plays countess and baroness with a witness.
1850 G. Cupples Green Hand iv. 48/2 At midnight it blew great guns, with a witness.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
witness-bearer n.
ΚΠ
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 531/1 Wyttenesse berare, testis, testificator, testificatrix.
c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 59 Alle fals wytnes-bererys.
1563 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments 1250/1 These vi. heauenly martyrs & witnes bearers of truthe.
witness-bearing n. and adj. (see Phrases 2).
ΚΠ
1553 tr. S. Gardiner De Vera Obed. 35 b I folow Tullies meaning, who in the weighti importaunce of witnes bearing, attributeth authoritie vnto such as be wittie & welthy men.
1577 H. I. tr. H. Bullinger 50 Godlie Serm. I. i. i. sig. A.iiij/1 The whole consent and witnessebearing of the great congregation.
1616 G. Chapman tr. Musaeus Divine Poem C 1 The witnesse-bearing-light Of Loues, that would not beare a humane sight.
1848 A. Thomson Orig. of Secession Ch. iii. 96 Their resolute and unflinching witness-bearing.
1889 Spectator 2 Feb. 166/1 A very real kind of witness-bearing to what we call the supernatural.
witness-heap n. (cf. quot. 1528 at Phrases 1a).
ΚΠ
1528 W. Tyndale Briefe Declar. Sacraments a iij And of al that couenant thei made that heape wytnesse, callenge it ye wetnessheppe.
witness-judge n.
ΚΠ
1726 E. Fenton in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey IV. xix. 585 My own experience shall their doom decide; A witness-judge precludes a long appeal.
C2.
witness action n. an action in which witnesses are summoned, as distinguished from one in which only matters of law are argued.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > action of courts in claims or grievances > [noun] > a lawsuit > other types of action
mort d'ancestora1325
trespass on the case1429
action of detinue1467
mortancestry1471
replevin1515
non-finding1525
nisi prius1533
faint action1542
interpleadera1558
improbationc1575
assize1577
assumpsit1586
transitory action1594
trover1594
suit of the King's peace1607
detinuea1626
quia timet1628
choke-baila1637
reprobator1672
spulyie1678
petitory action1681
proprium1695
restitution of conjugal rights1720
amicable suit1768
noxal action1774
real action1818
witness action1892
class suit1894
non-jury1897
foreclosure action1905
class action1910
derivative action1934
paternity suit1945
1892 Daily News 16 July 7/1 Mr. Justice Kekewich..ordered the motion to be set down as a witness action.
witness-box n. an enclosed space in which a witness is placed while giving evidence.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > judicial body, assembly, or court > place where court is held > [noun] > place where witness stands or sits
box1718
witness-box1806
witness-stand1853
witness chair1897
1806 J. Carr Stranger in Ireland 469 I was surprised to find..that they had no witness-box. The witness is hoisted upon the table.
1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede III. v. xliii. 132 Mr. Irwine was in the witness-box, telling of Hetty's unblemished character.
witness chair n. a seat for witnesses at a court of inquiry.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > judicial body, assembly, or court > place where court is held > [noun] > place where witness stands or sits
box1718
witness-box1806
witness-stand1853
witness chair1897
1897 Westm. Gaz. 16 Feb. 7/2 The ex-Premier..advanced to the witness chair.
witness-room n. an apartment in which witnesses assemble and remain while not giving evidence.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > judicial body, assembly, or court > place where court is held > [noun] > room for witnesses
witness-room1848
1848 E. C. Gaskell Mary Barton II. xv. 188 She took her place in the witness-room, worn and dispirited, but not anxious.
witness-stand n. U.S. the place where a witness is stationed while giving evidence.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > judicial body, assembly, or court > place where court is held > [noun] > place where witness stands or sits
box1718
witness-box1806
witness-stand1853
witness chair1897
1853 H. D. Thoreau Let. 10 Apr. in Corr. (1958) 304 Expect no trivial truth from me, unless I am on the witness-stand.
1896 W. D. Howells Impressions & Experiences 71 A young man..was called to the witness-stand in behalf of the prosecution.
Derivatives
ˈwitnessdom n. (see quot. 1877 and cf. 8 above).
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > martyrdom > [noun]
martyrdomeOE
martyrshipa1661
martyry1677
witnessdom1877
1877 J. Ruskin Fors Clavigera VII. lxxxii. 330 Our act may have the..Virtue of Witness-dom, or as we..translate it Martyrdom.
Draft additions September 2020
witness tampering n. the action of attempting to influence the evidence given by a witness in a trial, enquiry, etc., typically by bribery, coercion, or intimidation; frequently as modifier.Cf. jury tampering n.
ΚΠ
1902 Indianapolis Sun 14 May 5/6 Do I understand it is the intention to accuse the minority [members of the sentate committee] of witness tampering?
1950 Arizona Republic 12 July 25/8 The government..dismissed its witness-tampering charges against two women who were key figures in the..perjury-conspiracy trial.
2017 Independent (Nexis) 31 Oct. 28 The trial of those men later collapsed following clear evidence of witness tampering.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
witnessv.
/ˈwɪtnᵻs/, U.S. /ˈwɪtnᵻs/ 1. † d. To give evidence of by one's behaviour; to make evident; to evince. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To bear witness to (a fact or statement); to testify to, attest; to furnish oral or written evidence of.† (c) with complement (for…or infinitive). Obsolete.
(a) with simple object.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > attest, bear witness [verb (transitive)]
witne?c1225
witnessa1300
testimonyc1330
record1340
testify1393
depose1529
detest1562
voucher1609
voucha1616
evidence1620
bespeak1674
rap1728
assert1821
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > attest, bear witness [verb (transitive)] > be or give evidence of
to show forth?c1225
witnessa1300
sustain?c1425
testify1445
showa1500
manifest?a1513
make1573
argue1585
evidence1610
attesta1616
citea1616
evince1621
to speak to ——1624
a1300 Cursor Mundi 23820 Þat wittnes us all hali gosspelles.
1338 R. Mannyng Chron. (1810) 82 William of Malmesbirie witnesse it in his writte.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. Prol. 191 Þat witnisseth holiwrite who-so wil it rede.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 13893 He and his lare will lasten ai, þis will he self wittnes and sai.
c1400 Rom. Rose 6958 We purchace, thurgh oure flateryng,..Lettres, to witnesse oure bounte.
1474 W. Caxton tr. Game & Playe of Chesse (1883) iv. iii. [ii] 171 Sidrac wythnesseth the same.
1509 J. Fisher Mornynge Remembraunce Countesse of Rychemonde (de Worde) sig. Bvi She..openly dyde wytnesse this same thynge at ye houre of her dethe.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) v. i. 221 That Goldsmith there, were he not pack'd with her, Could witnesse it: for he was with me then. View more context for this quotation
1653 H. More Antidote against Atheism in Coll. Philos. Writings (1712) iii. iii. §2 91 Remigius writes that he had it witnessed to him by the free confession of near two hundred men.
1729 T. Innes Crit. Ess. Anc. Inhabitants Scotl. I. 190 Thus we see the antiquity of the settlement of the Scots in Britain witnessed by our own country writers.
1920 Discovery Mar. 90/1 The records..contain..references to their Royal founder, witnessing his continued interest in the progress of Science.
(b) with object clause.
ΚΠ
c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 6609 Ichil þe make messanger..Ichil þat þou wittnesse me Þat þe loue ste[de]fast be.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 263 Senec witnesseth openly How that Envie proprely Is of the Court the comun wenche.
c1475 Partenay 1529 I witnesse you..That he was A trew catholike person.
1563 2nd Tome Homelyes Prayer ii. 126 b He wytnesseth in another place, the Martirs..were wont..to be remembred..of the Priest at diuine seruice.
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice v. i. 271 Lorenzo heere shall witnes I set foorth as soone as you. View more context for this quotation
1633 J. Ford Loves Sacrifice ii. sig. E Were not the party her selfe aliue to witnesse that [etc.].
1859 S. Wilberforce Speeches on Missions (1874) 186 To witness..to the next generation, that England can never be clear from the guilt.
ΚΠ
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 12909 And þar-of es right no farlik, Quen he-self þe wittnes for-slik.
?1548 J. Bale Image Bothe Churches (new ed.) i. sig. Fiiij I wyll ernestly witnesse him..before my heuenly father..for one of myne, to haue the inheritaunce with me.
1565 R. Shacklock tr. S. Hozjusz Hatchet of Heresies 12 b Christ, whome the Scriptures wytnesse to haue bene incarnat.
1607 J. Carpenter Plaine Mans Spirituall Plough 26 Noah was witnessed to be A man righteous and perfect.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State v. vii. 387 Those that knew him, witnesse him to be of honest life.
(d) in imperative or subjunctive, as a form of appeal. Now rare.
ΚΠ
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 608 What-euer ye deme me to do,..I hete you full highly with hert to fulfille,..wittenes our goddes.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 1488 The fyfte..Was Troylus..That mykell worship wan, witnes ye of story.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) ii. vi. 25 And Siluia (witnesse heauen that made her faire) Shewes Iulia but a swarthy Ethiope. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) v. i. 187 Ay me, it is my husband: witnesse you, That he is borne about inuisible. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Pastorals viii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 36 While I my Nisa's perjur'd Faith deplore; Witness ye Pow'rs, by whom she falsly swore!
1838 C. Dickens Oliver Twist III. xlviii. 251 Witness you three—I'm not afraid of him.
b. transferred. Of a document: To furnish formally attested evidence of. Usually with object clause.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > evidence > give evidence of [verb (transitive)] > of a document
witness1474
1474 Anc. Deed C. 5555 (P.R.O.) This bylle shalle wytnesse that I Thomas Ormond oweth to Hew Mathew [3l. 6s. 8d.].
a1475 Rolls of Parl. VI. 155/2 Cokettes of all such Clothes..witnessyng the nombre of theym.
1503 Rolls of Parl. VI. 527/2 This Indenture..Wytnesseth That whereas [etc.].
1551 Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) 425 This byll, mad the xvi. day of Aprill..wittenishit that whereas [etc.].
a1639 R. Hutton 1st Pt. Young Clerks Guide (1649) 101 This Indenture witnesseth, That [etc.].
1760 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy I. xv. 82 And this Indenture further witnesseth, That [etc.].
c. figurative. To furnish evidence or proof of; to be a sign or mark of, betoken. Also with object clause.
ΚΠ
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xviii. 240 [Þe] water witnessed þat he was god, for he went [= walked] on it.
1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) ii. 253 The tremblynge of the erthe..the darkynge of the sonne wytnesse hym maker of all thynges.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) i. vi. sig. E2 All other tokens witnessed them to be of the lowest calling.
1599 T. Storer Life & Death Wolsey sig. G3 The stones may witnesse shee was there.
1600 W. Cornwallis Ess. I. ii. sig. C5 The Director whose high erected scituation witnesseth his prerogatiue.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iv. iv. 67 Thy face, and thy behauiour, Which..Witnesse good bringing vp. View more context for this quotation
1630 T. Randolph Aristippus 12 You cannot ride to Ware or to Barkway, but your Hackneyes sides must witnesse your iourneyes.
1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures iv. 8 As the wounds we have upon us can but too well witness.
1768 H. Brooke Fool of Quality (Dublin ed.) III. xvi. 258 This Tear will witness for me, that I do not mean to insult you.
1782 W. Cowper Hope in Poems 161 His shoulders witnessing by many a shrug, How much his feelings suffered.
1796 C. Smith Marchmont I. 259 The gilding and carving..witnessed the expence that had once been lavished on it.
1813 J. C. Eustace Tour through Italy I. vii. 156 The banks of the river, for many a mile, witnessed the rout of the Carthaginians.
1843 T. B. Macaulay Horatius lxv And there it stands unto this day To witness if I lie.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > [verb (transitive)] > by one's action or behaviour
kitheOE
haveOE
showc1175
discoverc1450
to show outc1450
to show forthc1515
manifesta1525
testify1560
specifya1575
witness1581
mark1791
1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades ix. 168 His kinred and the mother chiefe did many a teare let fall Their woe to witnesse.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney tr. Psalmes David (1823) xxxv. vii Even gnashing teeth, to witness more their spight.
?a1625 Lawes of Candy iii. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Hhh2/1 To finde occasion wherein I might witnesse My duty and obedience.
1660 S. Pepys Diary 15 Apr. (1970) I. 109 Captain Dekings, an Anabaptist and one that hath witnessed a great deal of discontent with the present proceedings.
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd iii. 107 I seek not mine, but his Who sent me, and thereby witness whence I am. View more context for this quotation
1700 J. Dryden tr. G. Boccaccio Cymon & Iphigenia in Fables 545 Long mute he stood, and leaning on his Staff, His Wonder witness'd with an Ideot laugh.
1728 A. Pope Dunciad i. 105 He roll'd his eyes that witness'd huge dismay.
e. To show forth evidence of or as to (an object of allegiance) by faithful speech or conduct; to be a witness for. Also with cognate object. Now rare or Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > attest, bear witness [verb (transitive)] > furnish evidence, vouch for
verifyc1449
warrantc1480
able?1489
witness1526
support1581
license1694
vouch1755
1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Tim. vi. 13 Iesus Christ whych vnder Poncius Pilate witnessed a good witnessynge [1582 Rheims and 1611 Confession].
1534 Bible (Tyndale rev. Joye) John v. 32 I know that the witnesse which he witnesseth of me, is true.
1663 in Jrnl. Friends Hist. Soc. XIX. 22 The glorious truth of God witnessed out by those contemned Christians which..are called Quakers.
1679 R. South Serm. Several Occasions 29 To be a Martyr signifies only to witness the truth of Christ.
1680 C. Ness Compl. Church-hist. xxiii. 339 John Baptist, who had Witnessed him into the World.
1833 Tracts for Times I. No. 10. 4 That very confirmation is another ordinance, in which the Bishop witnesses Christ.
2. † c. In present participle absolute: witnessing (so-and-so); = witness n. 7b. Obsolete.
a. intransitive. To bear oral or written witness; to testify. Now usually with to or against.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > bear witness, testify [verb (intransitive)]
to bear (one) witnesslOE
witne?c1225
to bear witnessinga1300
to bear recordc1330
testimonyc1330
testify1377
witnessc1380
recordc1400
militatec1600
suffragate1620
testate1624
depone1640
attest1672
rap1728
certify1874
certificate1907
c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 268 Þat, as ierome & anselm witnessen,..here abitis ben ful of lesyngis.
c1380 J. Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 436 At þe day of dom..Crist and hise lawe shal witnesse aȝen ȝou.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11075 Forþi of him witnes þus vr lauerd,..‘O wijf’, he said, ‘was neuer born nan A gretter barn þan sant iohan’.
a1400 Pistill of Susan 363 Þe pistel witnesseþ wel Of þat profete.
c1400 Mandeville ii. (1919) 7 As the storye of Noe witnesseth whan þat the culuer broughte the braunche of Olyue.
c1450 Godstow Reg. 131 As his vncles..gaf & grauntid..to þe fore-seide minchons, as her charturs witnessin.
1486 Bk. St. Albans, Her. a j Many other notable..thyngys to the plesure of noble personys shall be shewyd as the werkys folowyng witteneses.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin iii. 56 And as the boke witnessith, Vter venquysshed the bataile.
1550 R. Crowley One & Thyrtye Epigrammes sig. Diiv Idlenes hath ben cause of much wyckednes, As Ecclesasticus doeth playnely wytnes.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) iv. ii. 219 Oh, when the last accompt twixt heauen & earth Is to be made, then shall this hand and Seale Witnesse against vs to damnation.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. i. 11 I witnesse to The times that brought them in. View more context for this quotation
1710 J. Addison Tatler No. 259. ⁋6 The Prisoner brought several Persons of good Credit to witness to her Reputation.
1771 O. Goldsmith Hist. Eng. IV. 5 He avowed his innocence, called heaven to witness to his veracity.
1870 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Gleanings 2nd Ser. 27 His simplicity..and earnestness are similarly witnessed to.
b. figurative (cf. 1a(c)).
ΚΠ
1592 Greenes Groats-worth of Witte To Gentl. Acquaint. sig. F2 Lette their owne workes serue to witnesse against their owne wickednesse.
1611 Bible (King James) Isa. iii. 9 The shew of their countenance doeth witnesse against them. View more context for this quotation
1836 J. H. Newman Parochial Serm. III. vi. 93 Works of obedience witness to God's just claims upon us.
1844 E. B. Browning Lost Bower xlvii The golden-hearted daisies Witnessed there..To the truth of things.
1856 W. E. Aytoun Bothwell v. xiv How many churches, wrapped in flames, Have witnessed to the spoilers' power!
1860 J. B. Mozley Univ. Serm. (1877) vii. 153 So subtle an hypothesis..witnesses to a curious phenomenon.
ΚΠ
c1400 Mandeville Voiage & Travaile (1839) Prol. 2 [The Holy Land] is the Herte and the myddes of all the World; wytnessynge the Philosophere, that seythe thus; Vertus rerum in medio consistit.
c1440 Gesta Romanorum i. 4 To goo vndir the ȝoke of penance..is not hard, witnessing þe sauiour.., wher he seithe..Lo! my ȝoke..is swete.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. HHiii Our sayd lorde wytnessynge and sayeng. Who soeuer for my loue forsaketh father or mother [etc.].
3. transitive.
a. To give formal or sworn evidence of (a fact, etc.); to depose in evidence. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > evidence > give evidence of [verb (transitive)]
witnessa1325
a1325 Statutes of Realm in MS Rawl. B.520 f. 65v Þe avisurs of þe siknesse sullen ben destreined to comen to þe curt to witnessen hoere siȝt.
1428 Munim. de Melros (Bannatyne) 519 I wes requeryt..for to wytnes vndir wryt þe thyng at wes determynyt befor me in iugement.
1560 Bible (Geneva) Mark xv. 4 Answerest thou nothing? beholde how manie things thei witnes against thee.
1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades ix. 172 The Aiax hie and Heraults eke can witnesse well his minde,..they heard the talke.
a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) v. iii. 203 Me thought you saide You saw one heere in Court could witnesse it. View more context for this quotation
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue i. 177 They did all of them witnesse one and the same thing; That I was the sonne of a principall Cavallero.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 586 If they would not witness treasonable matter against Baillie.
b. To attest formally by signature; to sign (a document) as a witness of its execution. Also absol.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal document > [verb (transitive)] > attest by signature
witnessa1325
sign1440
test1727
a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) xlii. 110 Witnessinde vs sulf at Gaunt þe vifte dai of Octobre.
1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. ii. 131 To weende with hem to westmunster to Witnesse þe deede.
1439 Rolls of Parl. V. 32/2 Licence of the said Chifteyne wittenessed undre his seall.
c1450 Godstow Reg. 275 To this present writyng their commune seale..they have put to, witnessyng theire Chapiter.
1668 T. Shadwell Sullen Lovers iii. 46 Sir Pos. Come Sir, do you Witness it. 2 Clerk. Ay Sir. he sets his hand.
1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. May (1965) I. 410 A writeing is drawn and wittness'd.
1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 102/1 Maha Rajah said it was necessary to witness it to make it pukka.
1853 E. C. Gaskell Ruth II. v. 103 There! that's what I call a will; witnessed according to law, and all.
1871 J. S. Le Fanu Rose & Key II. 38 Lady Vernon..sends for her secretary, and seals, signs, and delivers it in his presence... And now he has duly ‘witnessed’ it.
1912 Eng. Hist. Rev. Jan. 50 John Chishull witnesses as chancellor pretty constantly in the roll of 53 Henry III.
c. To be formally present as a witness of (a transaction).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > presence > be present at [verb (transitive)] > be present as witness at
witness1362
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > attest, bear witness [verb (transitive)] > support, corroborate
fasteneOE
i-sothea925
sustainc1325
witness1362
approvec1380
confirmc1384
affirma1393
justifya1393
to bear outa1475
corrobore1485
uphold1485
nourisha1522
underpinc1522
to countenance outa1529
favoura1530
soothe1544
strengthen1548
comfort1593
second1596
accredit1598
evidencea1601
warrantise1600
compact1608
back1612
thickena1616
accreditate1654
shoulder1674
support1691
corroborate1706
carry1835
to give (also lend) colour1921
1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. ii. 60 Hit witen and witnessen þat woneþ vppon eorþe, Þat I, Fauuel, Feffe Fals to þat Mayden Meede.
1849 J. Stephen Ess. Eccl. Biogr. (1850) I. 43 By his side..sat Agnes the Empress-mother, brought there to witness and to ratify the judgment to be pronounced on her only child.
1859 H. Kingsley Recoll. G. Hamlyn xiii I would be much obliged to you if you could step round to the..Bank with me. I want you to witness what passes.
4. 1606 G. W. tr. Justinus Hist. xxxiii. 110 Others enclustred about him to dispatch him of his life, more enuious against him now, through his Noblenesse which they witnessed.1613 G. Chapman Reuenge Bussy D'Ambois iv. sig. H3 I neuer witness'd a more noble loue, Nor a more ruthfull sorrow.1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 700 To witness with thine eyes what some perhaps Contented with report heare onely in heav'n. View more context for this quotation1710 Ld. Shaftesbury Soliloquy 23 There is nothing ever so trivial..that he is not desirous shou'd be witness'd by the Party, whose Grace..he sollicits.1785 W. Cowper Task i. 144 And witness, dear companion of my walks,..a joy that thou hast doubled long.1787 Generous Attachm. I. 26 I witnessed the uneasiness Mr. Melville endured.1792 G. Wakefield Mem. (1804) I. 294 I met with an opportunity..of witnessing a most extraordinary ventriloquist.1797 R. Southey Lett. from Spain xii. 201 Never did I witness a more melancholy scene of devastation.1827 T. B. Macaulay Machiavelli in Ess. (1843) I. 68 They witnessed the arrangement of the pullies, and the manufacture of the thunders.1836 Hints on Etiquette (ed. 2) 30 Do not pick your teeth much at table, as..to witness it is not a pleasant thing.1873 L. Stephen Ess. Freethinking 8 We are, however, passing through a great change, of which no living man can expect to witness the end.1878 J. Morley Diderot I. iv. 79 As he could not witness the experiment, he began to meditate on the subject.1912 Times 19 Oct. 5/1 Large crowds witnessed their departure, but no demonstration occurred.const. clause.1825 W. Scott Talisman x, in Tales Crusaders IV. 214 Thou art wise..and generous... I have witnessed that thou art both.absolute.1810 W. Wordsworth Descr. Lakes (1822) 121 The Lake of Uri..is disturbed from the bottom, as I was told, and indeed as I witnessed, without any apparent commotion in the air.
a. (transferred from 3c.) To be a witness, spectator, or auditor of (something of interest, importance, or special concern); to experience by personal (esp. ocular) observation; to be present as an observer at; to see with one's own eyes. In early use said mainly of the eyes or the ears. (In loose writing often used merely as a synonym of ‘see’.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > witness
yseeOE
witness1582
eyewitness1605
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis ii. 22 Thee Troians..Whose fatal misery my sight hath wytnesed heauye.
1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster North-ward Hoe iii. sig. E Take but that corner and stand close, and thine eyes shall witnesse it.
1657 A. Cokayne Obstinate Lady v. iv. 62 I will make known how much you are her Servant, and what affection mine ears have witnessed.
b. figurative. Of a place, time, etc.: To be associated with (a fact or event); to be the scene or setting of; to ‘see’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > [verb (transitive)] > be the scene of
see1643
witness1785
1785 A. Seward Let. 25 Aug. (1811) I. 78 That immortal fountain and valley, which had witnessed the beauty of Laura.
1810 W. Scott Lady of Lake vi. 244 What various scenes..Are witnessed by that red and struggling beam!
1813 J. C. Eustace Tour through Italy II. i. 28 These fertile plains..once witnessed the defeat and death of a Gothic monarch.
1825 W. Scott Betrothed iii, in Tales Crusaders I. 59 March and October have witnessed me ever as they came round, for thirty years, deal with the best barley in Shropshire.
1864 J. Bryce Holy Rom. Empire vi. 103 The thirteenth [century] witnessed the rapid spread of the scholastic philosophy.
1881 J. A. Froude Short Stud. (1883) IV. ii. iii. 194 The scenes which those harbours had witnessed thousands of years ago.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
<
n.c950v.a1300