witness

Pronunciation: /ˈwɪt.nɪs/

Reading level: medium

Estimated CEFR level: A2 — Elementary

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun someone who sees an event and reports what happened
  2. noun a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)
  3. noun testimony by word or deed to your religious faith

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”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

witnesser, informant

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
perceiver, speaker
Narrower (hyponyms)
attester, testifier

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