witness

B1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈwɪt.nəs/ UK /ˈwɪt.nɪs/ See IPA manual

Freq #1219

Meanings

1

verb
To see something happen, especially an event or a crime.

I witnessed the accident and had to testify in court.
2

noun
A person who sees an event happen and can describe it.

As a witness to the crash, she gave a statement to the police.
3

noun
A person who gives evidence in a court of law.

The witness for the prosecution did not seem very credible.
4

noun
A person who watches an official act, such as a wedding or a signing, and confirms it took place.

The best man served as a witness at the wedding.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

certify

Word family

Forms witnessedwitnesseswitnessing

Derived forms eye-witnesseyewitnesswitness-consciousness

Appears in

Phrases (3)

See all

Proverbs (1)

See all

Life without a friend is death without a witness

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”).

*weyd- Proto-Indo-European witnesse Middle English ġewitnes Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# witness

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈwɪt.nəs/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈwɪt.nɪs/
**Frequency rank:** 1219

## Meanings
1. To see something happen, especially an event or a crime.
2. A person who sees an event happen and can describe it.
3. A person who gives evidence in a court of law.
4. A person who watches an official act, such as a wedding or a signing, and confirms it took place.

## Examples
- I witnessed the accident and had to testify in court.
- As a witness to the crash, she gave a statement to the police.
- The witness for the prosecution did not seem very credible.
- The best man served as a witness at the wedding.

## Synonyms
- certify

## Derived Forms
- eye-witness
- eyewitness
- witness-consciousness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *weyd-
- Root: witnesse
- Root: ġewitnes

## 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”).

## AI Etymology
Witness is 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”). Important historical forms include Proto-Indo-European *weyd-, Middle English witnesse, and Old English ġewitnes. In present-day use, it can mean to see something happen, especially an event or a crime, or a person who sees an event happen and can describe it. Derived formations include eye-witness, eyewitness, witness-consciousness.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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