Main Entry:

²witness

Function:

verb

Date:

14th century

transitive verb

1: to testify to : attest2: to act as legal witness of3: to furnish proof of : betoken4 a: to have personal or direct cognizance of : see for oneself <witnessed the historic event> b: to take note of <our grammar— witness our verb system—is a marvel of flexibility, variety, and exactitude — Charlton Laird>5: to constitute the scene or time of <structures…which this striking Dorset hilltop once witnessed — Times Literary Supplement>intransitive verb1: to bear witness : testify2: to bear witness to one's religious convictions <opportunity to witness for Christ — Billy Graham>

synonyms see certify