witness

▪ I. witness, n.
    (ˈwɪtnɪs)
    Forms: 1–7 witnes, 3–5 wittnesse, 3 Orm., 6 wittness, 3–6 wittenes, wytnesse, 3–7 witnesse, 4–5 witenes, 4–6 wittnes, wytnes(s, (2 witnys, 3 -nesce, 4 wijtnes, wittenesse, 4–5 whitnes, 4, 6 vytnes, wetness(e, witnese, (7 Sc.) vitnes, 5 wytt(e)nesse, -(e)nes, witnesh, wetenesse, whetnesse, vitness(e)), 5– witness.
    [OE. witnes, more freq. ᵹewitnes, f. (ᵹe)wit wit n., iwit + -nes -ness. Cf. OHG. giwiȥnessi, MDu. wetenisse. The passage in sense from abstract to concrete is paralleled in F. témoin (:—L. testimonium). The uninflected pl. was frequent in early use; for separate illustration see sense 4.]
    I. † 1. Knowledge, understanding, wisdom. Obs.

c 950 Rituale Eccl. Dunelm. (Surtees) 194 Fore wisdom vel witnes ðæs biscop..propter scientiam episcopi. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 507 He sal..wenden iewes..To ðe wittenesse of iesus crist. c 1380 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. 1382 ― Prov. viii. 5 Vnderstondeth, ȝee litle childer, witnesse [1388 wisdom; Vulg. astutiam]. 1433 Rolls of Parlt. V. 435/1 The connyng and witnes that resten in his persone. 1482 Monk of Evesham (Arb.) 27 His owne seyng that he had tolde before to a few persons of wytnesse [orig. perpaucis arbitris].

    2. a. Attestation of a fact, event, or statement; testimony, evidence; † evidence given in a court of justice. See also 10.

c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xv. 19 Falsa testimonia, leasa witnesa. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 13 Ne spec þu aȝein þine nexta nane false witnesse. a 1300 Cursor M. 16280 His aun muth nu has him dempt, o wijtnes es na nede. 1340 Ayenb. 10 Þou ne sselt zigge none ualse wytnesse aye þine emcristen. 1483 Acta Audit. in Acta Dom. Conc. II. Introd. 108 The Lordis..ordanis the witnes now takin to be closit. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. (1812) II. clxi. 446 If nede be I shall proue it by the wytnesse of hymselfe. 1526 Tindale Acts x. 43 To hym geveth all the prophetes witnes. ― 1 John v. 9 Yf we receave the witnes of men, the witnes of god is gretter. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. i. iii. 100 An euill soule producing holy witnesse, Is like a villaine with a smiling cheeke. 1611 Bible 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 Trial Regic. 157 It is not that I would invalidate his witness. 1739 Butler Serm. 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. 1867 Duke of Argyll Reign of Law vii. 360 Nature is called as a witness, and then the witness she gives is condemned. 1870 Lowell Study Wind. 11 There is the most trustworthy witness to the imitative propensity of this bird. 1881 Jowett Thucyd. I. 7 Agamemnon..if the witness of Homer be accepted, brought the greatest number of ships himself.

    † b. The action or condition of being an observer of an event. Obs.

a 1225 Ancr. R. 68 Wiðute witnesse of weopmen oðer of wummon þæt ou muwe iheren, ne speke ȝe mid none monne ofte ne longe. c 1400 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 Cor. i. 12.

a 1340 Hampole Psalter v. 12 Witnes þaire awn consciens and accusand þaim. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xviii. (Egipciane) 175 Hafand his consciens vytnes How he in þat tyme liffand vas. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione ii. vi. 46 The joye of a gode man is þe witnes of a gode conscience. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. iv. ii. 220 May we with..the witnesse of a good conscience, pursue him with any further reuenge?

    † d. In some versions of the Bible: = testimony n. 4. Obs.

1530 Tindale Exod. xxxviii. 21 This is the summe of the habitacyon of witnesse. Ibid. 30 The tabernacle of witnesse. 1535 Coverdale 2 Kings xi. 12 He..set a crowne vpon his heade, and toke the witnes, and made him kynge. Ibid. 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 phr. in (rarely † into) witness of, hereof, whereof, etc.

1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1725) 214 Þe chartre was forth brouht with wittnes enseled streit [orig. Le rays..mette sun sel en testmoynaunce]. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. 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 E.E. Wills (1882) 17 In wytnesse of þis dede I haue set þerto me sel. c 1450 Godstow Reg. 38 Into witnesse of this he put to his seale. Ibid. 48 To the whyche wrytynge hys seel I-put to is wytnes. 1525 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) VI. 12 In wittenes whereof..I..haith setto my seale. 1550 Rental Bk. Cupar-Angus (1880) 76 In witnes of the quhilk to this present writ, subscriuit with our handis. 1658 Sir R. Hutton's Yng. Clerks Guide i. (ed. 8) 240 In witnesse whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. IV. xvii. 27 The land was received as a fresh grant, which needed the writ and seal of King William as its witness.

    4. 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 b.

c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxvi. 60 Falsi testes, lease vel lycce witnesa. a 1300 Cursor M. 19419 Tua wittnes fals þai þam puruaid, To tell he had o godd missaid. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 74 Þei wolen..brynge many false witnesses & notaries in his absence, & in presence speke no word. c 1400 Cato's Morals 1 in Cursor M. App. iv, If þou be made wittenesse, For to say þat soþ is, Saue þine honour Als mikil as þou mai fra blame. a 1577 Sir T. Smith Commw. Eng. ii. xv. (1584) 61 Witnesses be sworne, & heard before them [sc. the jury]..openly. 1622 J. Taylor (Water P.) Sir Gregory Nonsence Wks. 1630 ii. 4/2 Truth must be found, and witnesses produced. 1628 Coke On Litt. 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 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxvi. 146 A Judge..ought to take notice of the Fact, from none but the Witnesses. 1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Lett. (1887) I. 240 False witnesses are much cheaper than in Christendom. 1814 Mrs. J. West Alicia de Lacy IV. 251 Many witnesses attested that he had borne arms. 1827 Ryan & Moody Cases Nisi Prius 31 marg., In an action by executors, a paid legatee is a competent witness to increase the estate. 1848 Mrs. Gaskell Mary Barton xxxiv, How did you like standing witness? Ar'n't them lawyers impudent things, staring at one so? 1867 Wharton Law-Lex. (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.’

uninflected pl. c 1440 Generydes 1510 He bad hym goo..To the Sowdon, and telle hym the processe, And he wold be on of his cheff witnesse. 1483 Acta Audit. in Acta Dom. Conc. II. Introd. 104 The Lordis..ordanis him to have letters to summond his witnes, and the party to here thame suorn. 1533 Cranmer Let. Misc. Writ. (Parker Soc.) 253 (MS.) That he hathe diuerse witnes, whiche culde make manyfeste deposicions concernyng the mattir. 1535 in Lett. Suppr. Monast. (Camden) 33 Your owne confession in thes lettres, besides the wittnes which ar against you, wolbe sufficient to condemne yow. 1713 Swift Cadenus & Vanessa 68 The pleader, having spoke his best, Had witness ready to attest.

    b. transf. and fig.

a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxiv. 11 Þai [sc. the prophets and evangelists] ere witnes of his hightynge. 1578 H. Wotton Courtlie Controv. 213 If you doubt thereof histories and fables with one voyce are witnes of my saying. 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. v. i. 103 Well, let my Deeds be witnesse of my worth. 1635 D. Dickson Hebr. xii. i. 284 The Examples of God's Saynctes in Scripture, should stand as Witnesses agaynst vs, if wee run not as becommeth. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 317 Why shouldst not thou..thy trial choose With me, best witness of thy Vertue tri'd? 1781 Cowper Heroism 81 Sweet nature..stands a witness at truth's awful bar, To prove you, there, destroyers as ye are. 1853 Maurice Proph. & Kings vi. 91 This prophet..is a true witness for the Lord God of Israel.

    5. 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 witness or subscribing witness.
    Often in formulæ corresponding to med.L. teste me ipso, teste rege, his testibus, etc., AF. tesmoin{ddd}

[a 995 in Thorpe Charters (1865) 288 Her cyþ on þysum ᵹewrite hu Wynflæd ᵹelædde hyre ᵹewitnesse.] a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 656 Ic bidde þe broðer æðelred & mine swustre Cyneburh & Cynesuuith..þet ᵹe beon witnesse & þæt ᵹeo hit write mid iure fingre. Ibid. 675 Ic Theodorus ærcebiscop of Cantwarbyriᵹ am witnesse of þas ᵹewrite. 1258 Proclam. Hen. III in Trans. Philol. Soc. (1868) 21 Witnesse vs seluen [AF. Tesmoin Meimeismes] æt Lunden' þane Eȝtetenþe day on þe Monþe of Octobr'. c 1290 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. a 1450 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. c 1450 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 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 239 Item, the foure witnes [of the execution] expensis in Edinburgh,.. xl s. 1525 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) VI. 13 Thies wittenesses, Thomas Beamont, [etc.]. 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. iii. ii. 205 Go too, a bargaine made: seale it... Ile be the witnesse. 1611 ― Wint. T. iv. iv. 401 But come-on, Contract vs fore these Witnesses. 1625 B. Jonson Staple of News v. ii, I haue your Deed... Is't not A perfect Act? and absolute in Law? Seal'd and deliuer'd before witnesses? 1630 Prynne Anti-Armin. 139 Seuerall witnesses auerre it vnder their hands and seales. 1664 in Extr. St. Papers rel. Friends Ser. iii. (1912) 228 This..wee haue made bold to Certefie Witnesse our hands this First day of December. c 1696 in W. M. Morison Dict. Decis. (1807) 16183 The communers and witnesses present, who fortify and adminiculate the same. 1710 O. Sansom Acc. Life 73 He..threatned me before Witness, That if I did not pay him, I must expect to go to Prison. 1720 T. Innes Crit. Ess. (1879) 111 As it is clear by many ancient charters, and chiefly by the donors and witnesses in the chartularies of our monasteries. 1754 in Nairne Peerage Evid. (1874) 53 James Fullarton merchant in Edinburgh and the s{supd} 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. 1837 Dickens Pickw. xvii, We find his name in the parish register as a witness to the marriage of Maria Lobbs to her cousin. 1839 Lane Arab. Nts. 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.]. 1855 [see subscribing ppl. a.]. 1858 Ld. St. Leonards Handy-Bk. Prop. Law xviii. 141 The statute requires the witnesses to attest and subscribe the will.

    † b. A sponsor or godparent at baptism. Obs.
    orig. in Puritan use.

1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lxiv. § 5 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. 1614 B. Jonson Barth. Fair i. iii, He was Witnesse, for Win, here, (they will not be call'd God-fathers), and nam'd her Winne-the-fight. 1643 Sir T. Hope Diary (Bannatyne Club) 188 This day I wes witness to ane barne of the Lord Balgonies, callit Agnes. 1653 H. More Antid. Ath. iii. ix. §2 (1712) 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 Dial. in Devon Dial. Gloss., To Witness or to Stand Witness to, to stand sponsor to a child in baptism.

    6. 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, eye-witness.) Usually with of, occas. to.

a 1225 Ancr. R. 144 No þinc nis witnesse þer of god þet we þeonne deð bute God one. a 1300 Cursor M. 19004 Fra ded to lijf nu risen es he, And þar-of wittnes all ar wee. 1382 Wyclif Heb. xii. 1 Forsothe and we hauynge so greet a cloud of witnessis [Gr. νέϕος µαρτύρων, L. nubem testium] put to. c 1400 Rule St. Benet (prose) 39 [They shall] make þaire peticiun, and bi-fore whitnes offir þaire childir. c 1450 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 Caxton Cheese iii. iv. (1883) 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. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) B v b, They were witnesse by syght, and not by heryng of other. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. V 35 Because I was nether a witnes of the facte, nor present at the deede I ouerpasse that matter. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. John vi. 66–71 Speciall witnesses and bruters abrode, of al the thynges that he wroughte. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 360 b, No man might haue accesse to him, nor speake w{supt} him without a witnesse. c 1590 Marlowe Faustus 209, 2. Scholar. Why, didst thou not say thou knewst? Wagner. Haue you any witnesse on't? 1. Scholar. Yes sirra, I heard you. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, ii. iii. 9 Faine would mine eyes be witnesse with mine eares, To giue their censure. 1682 J. Norris Hierocles 37 But had they no witness? I omit God..but had they not themselves, and the testimony of Conscience? 1694 Atterbury Serm., Isa. lx. 22 (1726) I. 152 Those Miracles being perform'd in the Desart, without any Witnesses but what were of that Nation. 1702 Pope Dryope 54, I saw, unhappy! what I now relate, And stood the helpless witness of thy fate. 1751 Johnson Rambler No. 142 ¶13 He is magnificent without witnesses. 1794 Paley Evid. ii. ix. (1817) 235 It was the credit given to original witnesses appealing for the truth of their accounts to what themselves had seen and heard. 1797 Jane Austen Sense & Sens. xxxv, Before such witnesses he dared not say half what he really felt. 1824 W. Irving T. Trav. II. ii. viii. 12, I will endeavour to act as if she were witness of my actions. 1842 T. Wright Biogr. Brit., Anglo-Sax. Per. 467 Turgar..in his youth had been a witness of the destruction of the abbey. 1854 J. S. C. Abbott Napoleon (1855) 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. 1862 Stanley Jewish Ch. 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.

fig. 1780 Cowper Progr. Err. 174 Then to the dance, and make the sober moon Witness of joys that shun the sight of noon.

    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 phr. to call or take to († one's) witness: to call upon or appeal to as one's surety; to swear by.

[c 1200 Vices & Virtues 73 Ȝif he godd hafð to iwitnesse ðat he mid hlutter herte hit doð.] 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 6934 Ich clupie god to witnesse..Þat ȝif ich of eni gulti am þat ich mote þoru þis fure Brenne..& perissy. a 1300 Cursor M. 17496 Þat soth it es We tak drightin til vr wittnes. c 1386 Chaucer Pard. T. 155 The hooly writ take I to my witnesse That luxurie is in wyn and dronkenesse. 14.. Hoccleve Min. Poems xvi. 10 And so wolde I, god take I to witnesse! 1535 Coverdale 2 Esdras ii. 5, I call vpon the for a wytnesse ouer the mother of these children, which wolde not kepe my couenaunt. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VI 99, I take firste God to my witnesse, and afterwarde all the worlde, that I haue been at all tymes..true man. 1555 in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1721) III. App. xlv. 133 God is my Wytnes, that my Harte wyll not suffer me..to declare suche vyle Reportes. 1581 A. Hall Iliad vii. 123 To which (if so it needefull is) I Ioue to witnesse call. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. iv. ii. 139 Heauen be my witnesse you doe. c 1600 ― Sonn. cxxiv, To this I witnes call the foles of time, Which die for goodnes, who haue liu'd for crime. 1667 Milton P.L. 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. 1700 Dryden Sigismonda & G. 397 That I have lov'd, I own; that still I love, I call to Witness al 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. 1840 Dickens Old C. Shop xxv, The tall boy..called those about him to witness that he had only shouted in a whisper. 1851 Kingsley Yeast xiii, Though, God's my witness, there's no spite in me for my own sake.

    † c. Referring to, usually introducing, the designation of an authority for a statement. (Cf. 7 b.)

a 1300 Cursor M. 14791 Quarof was born þe king daui, Þat es þe tun of bethleem, Þe bok is wittnes for to tem. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶274 They been deceyued that seyn that they ne be nat tempted in hir body, witnesse on [v.r. of] Seint Iame the Apostel. c 1440 Sir Gowther 117 The chylde throfe and..The duk sent after other sex, As wetnesse the storie. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xiv. 428 Lord, this is sothe, securely, wytnes the profett Isay. 1486 in Surtees Misc. (1890) 54 Shewing the rose to be principall of all floures, as witnesh Barthilmew. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 42 [Jesus Christ] Sinnaris onlie Saluatioun, As witnes is thy word in write.

    7. fig. Something that furnishes evidence or proof of the thing or fact mentioned; an evidential mark or sign, a token.

c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3843 To sen gode witnesse ðor-on, Ðat wond was in ðat arche don. c 1380 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. Nicholay's Voy. ii. iii. 33 For better witnesse of the antiquitie thereof, the inhabitaunts..doe..call all these old ruines Paleopolys. 1594 W. Harbert in Shaks. Cent. Praise (1879) 12 Whose death was witnesse of her spotlesse life. 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lxviii. §3 Our kneeling..is the gesture of pietie.. What doth better beseeme our bodies..then to bee sensible witnesses to minds vnfainedly humbled? 1599 Shakes. Much Ado ii. iii. 48 It is the witnesse still of excellencie, To put a strange face on his owne perfection. 1599 ― Hen. V, iv. iii. 97 Vpon the which [graves], I trust Shall witnesse liue in Brasse of this dayes worke. 1601 Sir W. Cornwallis Ess. ii. xxvii. ¶2, They..smelt of oyle, the witnesse of an vnmanlike effeminate nicenesse. 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. ii. xxii. (1674) 170 [He bade them] remove away that unfortunate Witness of their ingratitude from the eyes of the World. 1815 Scott Guy M. li, Now, wipe these witnesses from your eyes. 1859 Hawthorne Marble Faun xxvii, Italian asseverations.., however true they may chance to be, have no witness of their truth in the faces of those who utter them. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. 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 L. teste{ddd}, F. témoin{ddd})

a 1300 Cursor M. 11788 Bot we ne wrick þe wisliker, Þe wark of him sua mai we dred, Als wittnes on vr eldres dede. c 1386 Chaucer Sec. Nun's T. 277 Witnesse [L. testis est] Tyburces and Cecilies shrifte. c 1386 ― Wife's T. 95 Pardee we wommen konne no thyng hele, Witnesse on Myda, wol ye heere the tale. c 1394 P. Pl. Crede 528 Wytnesse on Wycliff þat warned hem wiþ trewþe. c 1420 Lydg. 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 Voc. Bps. 24 The wisest, and greatest clarkes haue erred, as witnesse the laps of Tertullian, Origen, and Lucifer. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. iii. xv. 192 Nature oftentimes recompenceth deform'd bodies with excellent wits. Witnesse æsop. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 503 When Night Darkens the Streets, then wander forth the Sons of Belial... Witness the Streets of Sodom. 1671 ― Samson 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 Cowper Retirem. 713 And novels (witness ev'ry month's review) Belie their name, and offer nothing new. 1852 Thackeray Esmond ii. ii, 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 pl.)

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 Urwick tr. Bleek's Introd. N.T. II. 305 By comparing the received text with Greek MSS. of the N.T. and other witnesses. 1926 Friedrichsen Gothic Vers. 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. F. témoin).

1802 C. James Milit. 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 Oper. Mech. 763 If any silver be produced it must be deducted from the assay. This is called the witness. 1880 J. W. Zaehnsdorf 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. Obs. exc. as literal rendering of Gr. µάρτυς martyr.
    The reference in Rev. xi. 3 is much disputed; see, e.g., Vigouroux Dict. de la Bible s.v. Témoins.

1382 Wyclif Rev. xi. 3 And I shal ȝiue to my two witnesses, and thei shulen prophecie a thousynd dayes two hundrid and sixty. 1548–9 Bk. Com. Prayer, Collect Innoc. Day, Whose prayse this day, the young innocentes thy witnesses hath confessed, and shewed foorth..in dying. 1557 N.T. (Geneva) Acts xxii. 20 And when the bloud of thy wytnes [marg. or, Martyr] Steuen was shed, I also stode by. 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1671) 128 One of the softest pillowes Christ hath, is laid under his witnesses head. [a 1700 Evelyn Diary 26 Apr. 1689, My Lord St. Asaph consider'd the killing of the two witnesses, to be the utter destruction of the Cevennes Protestants.., and the other the Waldenses and Pyrenean Christians.]

    b. = Jehovah's Witness s.v. Jehovah 2. orig. U.S.

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.

    II. Phrases. (See also above.)
    9. a. in witness: as a testimony or piece of evidence. Now rare or Obs. exc. as in 3.

c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. viii. 4 In cyðnisse vel witnesa. [c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke ix. 5 Þonne ᵹe of þære ceastre gað, asceacað eower fota dust ofer hiᵹ on witnesse.] a 1325 MS. Rawl. B. 520, lf. 54 b, In witnesse of wche þinges we habbez don maken þues oure opene lettres. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. viii. 95 In two lynes hit lay..And was I-writen riht þus In witnesse of treuþe. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 34 In tokne and in witnesse That ilke ymage bar liknesse Of man and of non other beste. 1528 Tindale Declar. Sacram. a ij b, They cast vp an heape of stones in wytnesse & called it Gylyad: y⊇ heape of wytnesse. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. iii. ii. 1 Hang there my verse, in witnesse of my loue. 1657 Earl of Monmouth tr. Paruta's Pol. Disc. 113 Venice doth at this day enjoy many great priviledges, in witness of her great worth and singular merit.

    † b. to stand in witness: to act as a witness. Sc. Obs.

1516 Reg. Privy Seal Scot. I. 422/2 The king..rehablis the said Johne and Johne to stand in preif and witnes.

    10. to bear witness: (said properly of a person, a book, etc.) to give oral or written testimony or evidence; hence fig. to furnish or constitute evidence or proof; to testify, witness to (occas. of). to bear (one) witness: to corroborate one's statement or be a witness of one's action. (Cf. ON. bera vitni, OF. porter temoin.)

c 1200 Ormin 12616, I barr to þe leode Wittness off himm, þatt he wass wiss Crist Godess Sune. c 1205 Lay. 13231 Ich habbe his munekes..þat sculleð witnesse beren eowe alle biuoren. a 1300 Cursor M. 6820 Tak þou noght wit tunge leier, Ne fals wittenes for felun ber. Ibid. 12582 Als lucas vs sais þe gospelere, Þat wittnes lel es wont at bere. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 2356 Certys þefte ryȝt wykked ys Whan þe dede bereþ wytnes [Pus qe ceo tesmoine le mort]. c 1325 Spec. Gy Warw. 412 Þe godspel þerof bereþ witnesse. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 3612 Þus may saules, als þe buke beres wytnes, By helpyd by way of rightwysnes. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. Prol. 527 Hire white coroun beryth of it witnesse. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xx. 29 Þre persones parcel-mele departable from oþer, And alle þre bote o god; thus abraam bereþ wittnesse. 1426 Anc. Deed A. 10383 (P.R.O.) This endentur tripartitit beres wittenes that [etc.]. c 1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Gilbert xxxvi. 113 Þe archbischop of Reymes was þere present..and bare witnesse of þe holy lyf of Seynt Gilbert. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxvi. 34 The pepill so wickit ar of feiris, The frutless erde all witness beiris. 1526 Tindale John viii. 18, I am won that beare witnes off my sylfe, and my father that sent me beareth witnes off me. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. iv. iv. 80 In veritie you did, my bones beares witnesse, That since haue felt the vigor of his rage. Ibid. 93 God and the Rope-maker beare me witnesse, That I was sent for nothing but a rope. 1610 ― Temp. iii. i. 68 O earth, beare witnes to this sound, And crowne what I professe with kinde euent If I speake true. 1671 Milton Samson 239 In seeking just occasion to provoke The Philistine..Thou never wast remiss, I bear thee witness. 1773 Goldsm. Stoops to Conq. 111, I can bear witness to that. 1839 Kemble Resid. in Georgia (1863) 59 Her dress..bore witness to a far more improved taste. 1841 Thackeray Gt. Hoggarty Diam. x, To speak of heaven..and to bring it to bear witness to the lie in his mouth. 1842 Tennyson St. Sim. Styl. 127 And I, in truth (thou wilt bear witness here) Have all in all endured as much. 1876 Mellor Priesthood ii. 59 The striking witness which he [sc. Judas] bore to the innocence of the Lord.

    † 11. to take witness by or of: to take example by.

c 1400 Anturs Arth. 165 (Thornton MS.) Thus am I lyke to Lucefere, takis witnes by mee. Ibid. 273 Takes witnes by Fraunce. c 1480 Henryson Cock & Fox 200 Tak witnes of the Feyndis Infernall, Quhilk houndit doun wes fra that heuinlie hall To Hellis hole.

    † 12. to bring, teem (teem v.¹) to witness: to bring under examination. Obs.

c 1200 Moral Ode 108 (Trin. Coll. MS.) Elch man sal þar biclepien himselfen and ec demen Hic [read his] oȝen werc and his þanc to witnesse he sal temen. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 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.

    † 13. to take witness of: to call or take to witness (see 6 b); to appeal to as an authority or source of information. Obs.

c 1375 Cursor M. 22583 (Fairf.), I take witnes of saint austine Þat tellis how þis werlde sal fine. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 66 For this witnesse I take of god, that my corage Hath ben mor siek than my visage. a 1500 in 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. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. xxvii. (1912) 322, I take witnes of the gods (who never leave perjuries unpunished) that I often cried out against their impudency.

    14. with a witness: with clear evidence, without a doubt, ‘with a vengeance’, ‘and no mistake’. Obs. or rare arch.

1575 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 98 French Camarick Ruffes, deepe with a witnesse, starched to the purpose. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. v. i. 121 Here's packing with a witnesse to deceiue vs all. 1609 J. Davies Triumphs Death Wks. (Grosart) I. 49/1 For now we sinne (yea with a witnesse sinne, Witnesse our conscience). a 1641 Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. vi. (1642) 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 Locke 2nd Let. Toleration Wks. 1727 II. 270 The French King requires all his Subjects to come to Mass: Those who do not, are punished with a witness. 1717 Prior Alma i. 444 Gall is bitter with a Witness. 1816 Hazlitt Pol. Ess. (1819) 103 Here's a levelling rogue for you! The world turned inside out, with a witness! 1829 Scott Anne of G. xxiii, To every other person about her she plays countess and baroness with a witness. 1849 Cupples Green Hand x. (1856) 90 At midnight, it blew great guns, with a witness.

    III. 15. attrib. and Comb., as witness-bearer, witness-bearing n. and adj. (see 10), witness-heap (cf. quot. 1528 in 9 a), witness-judge; witness action, an action in which witnesses are summoned, as distinguished from one in which only matters of law are argued; witness-box, an enclosed space in which a witness is placed while giving evidence; witness chair, a seat for witnesses at a court of inquiry; witness-room, an apartment in which witnesses assemble and remain while not giving evidence; witness-stand U.S., the place where a witness is stationed while giving evidence.

1892 Daily News 16 July 7/1 Mr. Justice Kekewich..ordered the motion to be set down as a *witness action.

c 1440 Promp. Parv. 531/1 *Wyttenesse berare, testis, testificator, testificatrix. c 1440 Jacob's Well 59 Alle fals wytnes-bererys. 1563 Foxe A. & M. 1250/1 These vi. heauenly martyrs & witnes bearers of truthe.

1553 M. Wood tr. Gardiner's 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 tr. Bullinger's Decades (1592) 8 The whole consent and witnessebearing of the great congregation. 1616 Chapman tr. Musæus 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.

1806 J. Carr Stranger Irel. 469, I was surprised to find..that they had no *witness-box. The witness is hoisted upon the table. 1859 Geo. Eliot A. Bede xliii, Mr. Irwine was in the witness-box, telling of Hetty's unblemished character.

1897 Westm. Gaz. 16 Feb. 7/2 The ex-Premier..advanced to the *witness chair.

1528 Tindale Declar. Sacram. a iij, And of al that couenant thei made that heape wytnesse, callenge it y⊇ *wetnessheppe.

1726 Pope Odyss. xix. 576 My own experience shall their doom decide; A *witness-judge precludes a long appeal.

1848 Mrs. Gaskell Mary Barton xxxii, She took her place in the *witness-room, worn and dispirited, but not anxious.

1853 Thoreau Let. 10 Apr. (1958) 304 Expect no trivial truth from me, unless I am in the *witness-stand. 1896 Howells Impressions & Exp. 71 A young man..was called to the witness-stand in behalf of the prosecution.

    Hence ˈwitnessdom (see quot. and cf. 8 above).

1877 Ruskin Fors Clav. lxxxii. VII. 330 Our act may have the..Virtue of Witness-dom, or as we..translate it Martyrdom.

▪ II. witness, v.
    (ˈwɪtnɪs)
    Forms: see prec.; also 4 witnis, 5 wythnesse, wittenessh, 6 wittenish.
    [f. prec. In some ME. texts forms of the type wittnes (= witnesses) may be inflected forms of witne.]
    1. trans. To bear witness to (a fact or statement); to testify to, attest; to furnish oral or written evidence of. (a) with simple obj.

a 1300 Cursor M. 13893 He and his lare will lasten ai, Þis will he self wittnes and sai. Ibid. 23820 Þat wittnes us all hali gosspelles. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 82 William of Malmesbirie witnesse it in his writte. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. Prol. 191 Þat witnisseth holiwrite who-so wil it rede. c 1400 Rom. Rose 6958 We purchace, thurgh oure flateryng,..Lettres, to witnesse oure bounte. 1474 Caxton Chesse iv. iii. [ii] (1883) 171 Sidrac wythnesseth the same. 1509 Fisher Funeral Serm. C'tess Richmond Wks. (1876) 308 She..openly dyde wytnesse this same thynge at the houre of her dethe. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. v. i. 220 That Goldsmith there, were he not pack'd with her, Could witnesse it: for he was with me then. 1653 H. More Antid. Ath. iii. iii. §2 (1712) 91 Remigius writes that he had it witnessed to him by the free confession of near two hundred men. 1729 T. Innes Crit. Ess. (1879) 117 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 obj. clause.

13.. Guy Warw. (A.) 6609 Ichil þe make messanger..Ichil þat þou wittnesse me Þat þe loue ste[de]fast be. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 263 Senec witnesseth openly How that Envie proprely Is of the Court the comun wenche. c 1475 Partenay 1529, I witnesse you..That he was A trew catholike person. 1563 Homilies ii. Prayer ii. 126 b, He wytnesseth in another place, the Martirs..were wont..to be remembred..of the Priest at diuine seruice. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. v. i. 271 Lorenzo heere Shall witnesse I set forth as soone as you. 1633 Ford Love's Sacr. ii. ii. E, Were not the party her selfe aliue to witnesse that [etc.]. 1859 S. Wilberforce Sp. Missions (1874) 186 To witness..to the next generation, that England can never be clear from the guilt.

    † (c) with complement (for{ddd}or inf.). Obs.

13.. Cursor M. 12909 (Gött.) And þar-of es right no farlik, Quen he-self þe wittnes for slik. 1545 Bale Image Both Ch. i. 41, I will earnestly witnesse hym..before my heauenly father..for one of myne, to haue the inheritaunce with mee. 1565 R. Shacklock tr. Hosius' Hatchet of Heresies 12 b, Christ, whome the Scriptures wytnesse to haue bene incarnat. 1607 J. Carpenter Plaine Mans Plough 26 Noah was witnessed to be A man righteous and perfect. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. 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.

c 1400 Destr. Troy 608 What-euer ye deme me to do,..I hete you full highly with hert to fulfille,..wittenes our goddes. Ibid. 1488 The fyfte..Was Troylus..That mykell worship wan, witnes ye of story. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. v. i. 186 Ay me, it is my husband: witnesse you, That he is borne about inuisible. 1591 ― Two Gent. ii. vi. 25 And Siluia (witnesse heauen that made her faire) Shewes Iulia but a swarthy Ethiope. 1697 Dryden Virg. Past. viii. 28, While I my Nisa's perjur'd Faith deplore; Witness ye Pow'rs, by whom she falsly swore! 1838 Dickens O. Twist l, Witness you three—I'm not afraid of him.

    b. transf. Of a document: To furnish formally attested evidence of. Usually with obj. clause.

1474 Anc. Deed C. 5555 (P.R.O.) This bylle shalle wytnesse that I Thomas Ormond oweth to Hew Mathew [3l. 6s. 8d.]. a 1475 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 155/2 Cokettes of all such Clothes..witnessyng the nombre of theym. 1503 Ibid. 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.]. 1658 Sir R. Hutton's Yng. Clerks Guide i. (ed. 8) 1 This Indenture..witnesseth, That [etc.]. 1759 Sterne Tr. Shandy I. xv, And this indenture farther witnesseth, That [etc.].

    c. fig. To furnish evidence or proof of; to be a sign or mark of, betoken. Also with obj. clause.

1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xviii. 240 [Þe] water witnessed þat he was god, for he went [= walked] on it. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye ii. 253 The tremblynge of the erthe..the darkynge of the sonne wytnesse hym maker of all thynges. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia i. vi. (1912) 41 All other tokens witnessed them to be of the lowest calling. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iv. iv. 74 Thy face, and thy behauiour, Which..Witnesse good bringing vp. 1599 T. Storer Life & D. Wolsey G 3, The stones may witnesse shee was there. 1600 Sir W. Cornwallis Ess. i. ii. C 5, The Director whose high erected scituation witnesseth his prerogatiue. 1630 Randolph Aristippus 12 You cannot ride to Ware or to Barkway, but your Hackneyes sides must witnesse your iourneyes. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. iv. 8 As the wounds we have upon us can but too well witness. 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1792) III. 87 This tear will witness for me, that I do not mean to insult you. 1781 Cowper Hope 415 His shoulders witnessing by many a shrug How much his feelings suffer'd. 1796 C. Smith Marchmont I. 259 The gilding and carving..witnessed the expence that had once been lavished on it. 1813 Eustace Class. Tour (1821) I. viii. 292 The banks of the river, for many a mile, witnessed the rout of the Carthaginians. 1843 Macaulay Horatius lxv, And there it stands unto this day To witness if I lie.

    † d. To give evidence of by one's behaviour; to make evident; to evince. Obs.

1581 A. Hall Iliad ix. 168 His kinred and the mother chiefe did many a teare let fall Their woe to witnesse. a 1586 Sidney Ps. xxxv. vii, Even gnashing teeth, to witness more their spight. a 1625 Fletcher Laws of Candy iii. i, To finde occasion wherein I might witnesse My duty and obedience. 1660 Pepys Diary 15 Apr., Captain Dekings, an anabaptist, and one that had witnessed a great deal of discontent with the present proceedings. 1671 Milton P.R. iii. 107, I seek not mine, but his Who sent me, and thereby witness whence I am. a 1700 Dryden Cymon & Iph. 112 Long mute he stood, and leaning on his Staff, His Wonder witness'd with an Ideot laugh. 1728 Pope Dunc. i. 105 (v.r.) 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 obj. Now rare or Obs.

1526 Tindale 1 Tim. vi. 13 Iesus Christ whych vnder Poncius Pilate witnessed a good witnessynge [1582 Rheims and 1611 Confession]. 1534 ― John v. 32, I know that the witnesse which he witnesseth of me, is true. 1659 South Serm., Matt. x. 33 (1697) I. 117 To be a Martyr signifies only to witness the truth of Christ. 1663 in Jrnl. Friends Hist. Soc. XIX. 22 The glorious truth of God witnessed out by those contemned Christians which..are called Quakers. 1680 C. Nesse Ch. Hist. (1681) 333 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. intr. To bear oral or written witness; to testify. Now usually with to or against.

a 1300 Cursor M. 11075 Forþi of him witnes [? witnessis] þus Vr lauerd,..‘O wijf’, he said, ‘was neuer born nan A gretter barn þan sant iohan’. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 268 Þat, as ierome & anselm witnessen,..here abitis ben ful of lesyngis. c 1380 ― Sel. Wks. III. 436 At þe day of dom..Crist and hise lawe shal witnesse aȝen ȝou. a 1400 Pistill of Susan 363 Þe pistel witnesseþ wel Of þat profete. c 1400 Mandeville ii. (1919) 7 As the storye of Noe witnesseth whan þat the culuer broughte the braunche of Olyue. c 1450 Merlin 56 And as the boke witnessith, Vter venquysshed the bataile. c 1450 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. 1550 Crowley Epigr. 1056 Idlenes hath ben cause of much wyckednes, As Ecclesiasticus doeth playnely wytnes. 1595 Shakes. John iv. ii. 218 Oh, when the last accompt twixt heauen & earth Is to be made, then shall this hand and Seale Witnesse against vs to damnation. 1611 ― Wint. T. iv. i. 11, I witnesse to The times that brought them in. 1710 Addison Tatler No. 259 ¶6 The Prisoner brought several Persons of good Credit to witness to her Reputation. 1771 Goldsm. Hist. Eng. IV. 5 He avowed his innocence, called heaven to witness to his veracity. 1870 Rogers Hist. Gleanings Ser. ii. 27 His simplicity..and earnestness are similarly witnessed to.

    b. fig. (cf. 1 c).

1592 Greene Groat's W. Wit F 2, Lette their owne works serue to witnesse against their owne wickednesse. 1611 Bible Isa. iii. 9 The shew of their countenance doeth witnesse against them. 1836 Newman Par. Serm. III. vi. 93 Works of obedience witness to God's just claims upon us. 1844 Mrs. Browning Lost Bower xlvii, The golden-hearted daisies Witnessed there..To the truth of things. 1856 Aytoun Bothwell v. xiv, How many churches, wrapped in flames, Have witnessed to the spoilers' power! 1860 Mozley Univ. Serm. vii. (1877) 153 So subtle an hypothesis..witnesses to a curious phenomenon.

    † c. In pres. pple. absolute: witnessing (so-and-so); = witness n. 7 b. Obs.

c 1400 Mandeville Prol. (1839) 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. c 1440 Gesta Rom. i. 4 To goo vndir the ȝoke of penance..is not hard, witnessing þe sauiour.., wher he seithe..Lo! my ȝoke..is swete. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. iii. xii. 43 Our sayd lorde wytnessynge and sayeng. Who so euer for my loue forsaketh father or mother [etc.].

    3. trans. a. To give formal or sworn evidence of (a fact, etc.); to depose in evidence. Now rare.

a 1325 MS. Rawl. B. 520 lf. 65 b, Þe avisurs of þe siknesse sullen ben destreined to comen to þe curt to witnessen hoere siȝt. 1428 Munim. de Melros (Bann.) 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 Iliad ix. 172 The Aiax hie and Heraults eke can witnesse well his minde,..they heard the talke. 1601 Shakes. All's Well v. iii. 200 Me thought you saide You saw one heere in Court could witnesse it. 1622 Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. i. 177 They did all of them witnesse one and the same thing; That I was the sonne of a principall Cavallero. a 1715 Burnet Own Time iii. (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.

a 1325 MS. Rawl. B. 520, lf. 54 b, Witnessinde vs sulf at Gaunt þe vifte dai of Octobre. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. ii. 131 To weende with hem to westmunster to Witnesse þe deede. 1439 Rolls of Parlt. V. 32/2 Licence of the said Chifteyne wittenessed undre his seall. c 1450 Godstow Reg. 27 Thys wytnessyth Alysaunder, of lyncolne bysshop, and many odyr. Ibid. 275 To this present writyng their commune seale..they have put to, witnessyng theire Chapiter. 1668 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 Lett. (1887) I. 240 A writing is drawn and witnessed. 1776 Trial of Nundocomar 102/1 Maha Rajah said it was necessary to witness it to make it pukka. 1853 Mrs. Gaskell Ruth xviii, There! that's what I call a will; witnessed according to law, and all. 1871 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 Engl. 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).

1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. ii. 60 Hit witen and witnessen þat woneþ vppon eorþe, Þat I, Fauuel, Feffe Fals to þat Mayden Meede. 1849 Sir J. Stephen Eccl. Biog. (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 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. (transf. from 3 c.) 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’.)

1582 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 43 Thee Troians..Whose fatal misery my sight hath wytnesed heauye. 1607 Dekker & Webster Northw. Hoe iii. i, Take but that corner and stand close, and thine eyes shall witnesse it. 1657 Cokaine Obst. Lady v. iv, I will make known how much you are her Servant, and what affection my ears have witnessed.

1606 G. W[oodcocke] Hist. Ivstine xxxiii. 110 Others enclustred about him to dispatch him of his life, more enuious against him now, through his Noblenesse which they witnessed. 1613 Chapman Rev. Bussy d'Ambois iv. H 3, I neuer witness'd a more noble loue, Nor a more ruthfull sorrow. 1667 Milton P.L. iii. 700 To witness with thine eyes what some perhaps Contented with report heare onely in heav'n. 1710 Shaftesbury Charac. (1711) I. iii. i. ii. 175 There is nothing ever so trivial..that he is not desirous shou'd be witness'd by the Party, whose Grace..he sollicits. 1784 Cowper Task i. 144 And witness, dear companion of my walks,..a joy that thou hast doubled long. 1787 Generous Attachment 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. 1796 Southey Lett. fr. Spain xii. (1799) 164 Never did I witness a more melancholy scene of devastation. 1827 Macaulay Ess., Machiavelli (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 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 Scott Talism. xxiii, Thou art wise..and generous... I have witnessed that thou art both.

absol. 1810 Wordsw. 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.

    b. fig. Of a place, time, etc.: To be associated with (a fact or event); to be the scene or setting of; to ‘see’.

1785 A. Seward Lett. (1811) I. 78 That immortal fountain and valley, which had witnessed the beauty of Laura. 1810 Scott Lady of L. vi. i, What various scenes..Are witness'd by that red and struggling beam! 1813 Eustace Class. Tour (1821) III. iii. 104 These fertile plains..once witnessed the defeat and death of a Gothic monarch. 1825 Scott Betrothed iii, March and October have witnessed me ever as they came round, for thirty years, deal with the best barley in Shropshire. 1864 Bryce Holy Rom. Emp. xv. (1866) 264 The thirteenth [century] witnessed the rapid spread of the scholastic philosophy. 1881 Froude Short Stud. (1883) IV. ii. iii. 194 The scenes which those harbours had witnessed thousands of years ago.

Oxford English Dictionary