witness. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

witness

SYLLABICATION:	wit·ness
PRONUNCIATION:	wtns
NOUN:	1a. One who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced: a witness to the accident. b. One who furnishes evidence. 2. Something that serves as evidence; a sign. 3. Law a. One who is called on to testify before a court. b. One who is called on to be present at a transaction in order to attest to what takes place. c. One who signs one's name to a document for the purpose of attesting to its authenticity. 4. An attestation to a fact, statement, or event; testimony. 5a. One who publicly affirms religious faith. b. Witness A member of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
VERB:	Inflected forms: wit·nessed, wit·ness·ing, wit·ness·es
TRANSITIVE VERB:	1a. To be present at or have personal knowledge of. b. To take note of; observe. 2. To provide or serve as evidence of. See synonyms at indicate. 3. To testify to; bear witness. 4. To be the setting or site of: This old auditorium has witnessed many ceremonies. 5. To attest to the legality or authenticity of by signing one's name to.
INTRANSITIVE VERB:	1. To furnish or serve as evidence; testify. 2. To testify to one's religious beliefs.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English, from Old English, from wit, knowledge. See wit¹.
OTHER FORMS:	witness·er —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.