witness
wit + -ness
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source: [ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 妖怪裁判で証人の呼子を問い詰める猫娘｜無料GIF画像検索 GIFMAGAZINE 3648457]
noun
1. a person who sees an event, typically a crime or accident, take place:
【事件などの】目撃者(eyewitness) «to, of»
e.g. police are appealing for witnesses to the accident
e.g. I was witness to one of the most amazing comebacks in sprinting history.
a person giving sworn testimony to a court of law or the police.
(法廷などでの) «…に有利な/…に不利な» 証人, 参考人 «for/against»
a person who is present at the signing of a document and signs it themselves to confirm this.
【取引などの】立会人; 【文書などの】連署人 «to»
2. evidence; proof:
｟かたく｠ 証拠, 証明; (法廷などの)証書; «…の» 証拠になる物, 人 «to»
e.g. the memorial service was witness to the wide circle of his interest.
used to refer to confirmation or evidence given by signature, under oath, or otherwise:
e.g. in witness thereof, the parties sign this document.
open profession of one's religious faith through words or actions:
｟米｠ (キリスト教の)信仰告白.
e.g. faithful Christian witness.
3. a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
verb
1. with object see (an event, typically a crime or accident) take place:
〈人が〉〈事件など〉を目撃する; 〖～ A doing〗 A〈人〉が…しているのを目撃する
e.g. a bartender who witnessed the murder.
be present as someone signs (a document) or gives (their signature) to a document and sign it oneself to confirm this:
(証人として)〈文書など〉に署名する; 〈署名など〉に連署する
e.g. the clerk witnessed her signature.
2. have knowledge of (an event or change) from personal observation or experience:
〈重要な出来事･変化など〉を目の当たりにする
e.g. what we are witnessing is the birth of a dangerously liberal orthodoxy.
(of a time, place, or other context) be the setting in which (an event or development) takes place:
〈時代･場所などが〉〈出来事など〉の場となる
e.g. the 1980s witnessed an unprecedented increase in the scope of the electronic media.
no object (witness to) give or serve as evidence of; testify to:
«…の» 証明, 証拠となる «to» .
e.g. his writings witness to an inner toughness.
in imperative look at (used to introduce a fact illustrating a preceding statement):
(as) witness A: A〈物･事〉が証明するように; (証拠として)Aを見よ, 参照のこと (!witnessは仮定法現在でAがその主語)
e.g. the nuclear family is a vulnerable institution—witness the rates of marital breakdown.
3. no object (of a person) openly profess one's religious faith:
｟米｠ (キリスト教で)信仰告白をする.
e.g. our duty is to witness to God.
PHRASES
as God is my witness (or God be my witness)
an invocation of God as confirmation of the truth of a statement:
e.g. God be my witness, sir, I didn't!
call someone or something to witness
archaic appeal or refer to someone or something for confirmation or evidence of something: his hands extended upward as if to call the heavens to witness this injustice.
ORIGIN
Old English witnes(see wit1, -ness).