# witness, testimony



## ThomasK

I'd like to know how you translate 
- *to witness *- Dutch : *getuigen
*- *a witness *- Dutch: *de getuige*
- *a testimony *- Dutch: *de getuigenis *(ending -*nis*)

Can you use the verb in a non-judicial sense? 

We can say that we have invited someone to _getuigen over _(talk about) his experiences. That is meant to be more than just factual, adding feelings, and it has nothing to do with courts, etc. Would you use other words? We could use _*'verhaal' *(zijn verhaal brengen), '_story' (to "bring" one's story) in that connection. _(BTW: the starting point was a class wit interpreters (Finnish, Estonian, Lthuanian, Danish-French, Hungarian and Italian) yesterday; quite some people considered that use of 'testimony'/ 'witness' strange.)_


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## sakvaka

*Finnish.

*a witness (the person) = either _todistaja_ ("prover") or _silminnäkijä_ (eyewitness, lit. "with eye -see'er")

The difference is small. You are called _silminnäkijä_ when you witness ('see') an accident, but transform into a _todistaja _upon entering the court room.

to witness = _todistaa_ (testify in court) or _nähdä_ ("see", eg. witness an accident), also _olla silminnäkijänä_ (act as an eyewitness)

a testimony = _todistajanlausunto _(witness' statement)

Since _todistaa _also means _prove_...
1) _Voitko todistaa väitteesi?_ Can you prove your argument?
2) _Olin todistamassa heidän häitään._ I was witnessing their wedding.
3) _todistus_ = (scholar) report card, diploma, certificate, lit. 'witness'
4) _todiste _= piece of evidence
5) _Tämä tutkimus todistaa (or osoittaa), että nuoret eivät voi hyvin. _This study proves that young people are feeling unwell.
6) _Todista (or osoita), että jokaiselle alkuluvulle p > 3..._ Prove that for every prime number p > 3...

_Osoita_​ (show) is probably more common for (5) and (6).


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## Outsider

Portuguese:

- *a testimony *- _*um testemunho*_ (L. _testimonium_,*"evidence, proof, testimony"*)
- *a witness *- *uma testemunha* (an invariable feminine noun)
- *to witness* - _*testemunhar*_*, to give a testimony, to bear witness - dar um testemunho
*


ThomasK said:


> Can you use the verb in a non-judicial sense?
> 
> We can say that we have invited someone to _getuigen over _(talk about) his experiences. That is meant to be more than just factual, adding feelings, and it has nothing to do with courts, etc.


Yes, you can. 



ThomasK said:


> Would you use other words?


Perhaps _*atestar*_, to attest (<L. _attestare, attesto_). This word and the previous ones derive from *L. testis "witness"*, and are cognates of "*testament*". Other than that, only synonyms meaning something like "to share".


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

*Witness (noun):* «Μάρτυρας» /'martiras/ (masc. & fem.). From the Classical masculine and feminine noun, «μάρτυς»  ('mārtūs)--> lit. _witness_, in Christian era also _martyr_; PIE base *(s)mer-, _to remember_ (cf. Lat. memoria; Eng. memory; Fr. memorie; It/Sp. memoria).
*Witness (verb):* «Μαρτυράω/μαρτυρώ» /marti'rao marti'ro/ (uncontracted and contracted). From the Classical verb «μαρτυρέω/μαρτυρῶ» (mărtŭ'rĕō [uncontracted]/mărtū'rō [contracted])--> lit. _to bear witness, give evidence_,  in Christian era also _to  become a martyr, become a sufferer_.
*Testimony:* In non-judicial terms, «μαρτυρία» /marti'ria/ (fem.); in judicial terms, «κατάθεση» /ka'taθesi/ (fem.) from the Classical third declension feminine noun «κατάθεσις» (kă'tătʰĕsīs)--> lit. _laying down, affirming, positive statement_, also, _declaration by a witness under oath_


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## AquisM

In Chinese:

testimony: 证供/證供 (Mandarin: zhenggong/Cantonese: zing gung - lit. proof provide) or 口供 (Mandarin: kougong/Cantonese: hau gong - lit. mouth provide) or 证词/證詞 (Mandarin: zhengci/Cantonese: zing tsi - lit. proof writing)

witness (people giving their testimony at court): 证人/證人 (Mandarin: zhengren/Cantonese: zing yan - lit. proof person)

eyewitness: 目击者/目擊者 (Mandarin: mujizhe/Cantonese: muk gik ze - lit. eyes bump-into person). In Chinese, we distinguish eyewitness from witnesses. Those who saw what happened are called 目击者, but those on the stand at court (which may or may not have witnessed the crime - could be an investigator) are called 证人.

witness (verb): 目击 (Mandarin: muji/Cantonese: muk gik - lit. eyes bump-into). This does not have to about a crime. You can 目击 a UFO flying, but 看到 (Mandarin: kandao/Cantonese: hon dou) _to see_ is probably used more often for an informal/non-judicial situation.


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## ThomasK

Something I thought of is: witnessing is different from testimony in that sense that the verb implies seeing mainly and perhaps expressing what one has seen, whereas the testimony refers to both seeing (having seen) and expressing that. Don't know whether that matters very much, but... Do all these equivalents of witnessing imply seeing and speaking ? 

@Sakvaka: the link with proving/ evidence seems logical, and yet, I do not perceive the idea of witnessing in words of proving in English. Is the _tod_- verb the only verb for proving? Can one _tod-_ about one's experiences in a non-judicial way? 

@Aquis: does 目击 imply talking about it as well, automatically? I suppose it does; my observation is not that important, I gather, as it is only when one is prepared to talk about the things one has seen, that one is a true (...) witness. 

@Apmoy: how come there is a specific word for judicial testimonies, do you think? Is the κατά- important, in the sense that it refers to declaring (down). Would you think the association witnessing/martyrdom is exclusively Christian, or could there have been a step-in-between before? 

@Apmoy and Outsider: could you illustrate this non-judicial verb in a context, just to make sure we are referring to the same meaning? And: is it commonly used ?

ADDITION: _vertellen_ (telling) about something seems more fictitious than _zijn verhaal brengen _("bringing" one's story)or _getuigen_.


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## Anja.Ann

Hi 

In Italian:

- to witness: _testimoniare;_
- a witness: un_ testimone_ or a _teste_ ("teste" in used only in legal contexts);
- a testimony: _una testimonianza._

"_Teste_" set apart, they are used also in non-judicial sense.


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## Outsider

Here are a few examples from the Internet. I didn't remember to add before that _testemunhar_ also means to *testify* (another cognate of L. _testis_).

_RTP testemunhou partida de Passos Coelho para quartel-general...
_RTP [a TV channel] witnessed the departure of Pedro Passos Coelho [current prime minister of Portugal] for the headquarters...

_Em uma valeta perigosa da rua Aracaju, em Joinville, moradora já testemunhou mais de 50 acidentes.
_In a dangerous ditch in Aracaju street, Joinville, a resident has witnessed over 50 accidents.
_
Português testemunhou sismo em Samoa.
_Portuguese man witnessed earthquake in Samoa.
_
Ela testemunhou o assassinato de seu amigo._
She witnessed the murder of her friend.

_Conte algo que lhe aconteceu ou que testemunhou de engraçado nessa semana._
Tell something funny that happened to you or that you witnessed that week.


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## ancalimon

Turkish:

to witness: tanıklık etmek, tanık olmak
a witness: tanık
a testimony: tanıklık

from http://www.seslisozluk.net/?ssQBy=0&word=tanımak

tanı : to know, to recognize, to identify, diagnosis


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## 涼宮

Hello!

*Spanish*:

To witness = atestiguar/testificar (only judicial stuff)
a witness = un testigo
a testimony = un testimonio

*Japanese*:

To witness:  

1) 証言する _shougen suru (evidence + say)_　
2)証明する _shoumei suru_ (evidence + light)
3) 目撃する _mokugeki suru _(eye + beat/conquer) (when crashes, robberies, or things by accident)
4) 目の当りにする _me no atari ni suru_ ( eye + to hit the nail + do ) (more like something abstract or beautiful to the eye)
5) に立ち会う _ni tachi au_ ( stand up + meet) (when you are present) (like concerts, perfomances) 
6) 遭う _au_ (encounter/meet) (when you have a bad experience)
7) を経験する _wo keiken suru_ (expire/longitude + testing/verification) (when you experience something, as in witness the big difference in results)
8) 示す _shimesu_ (this one is more used in economical contexts, as in witness an annual growth of...)

A witness: 

1) 目撃者 _mokugekisha_ (eye + attack + person)
2) 証人 _shounin_ (evendence + person)  (the most common)
3) 参考人 _sankounin_ (visit + consider + person) ( it can mean a person given as a reference, potential suspect or person of interest) 
4) 立会人 _tachiainin_ (stand up + meet + person) ( it can also mean observer) 

A testimony:

1) 宣誓証言 _senseishougen _(proclaim + vow + evidence + say) (more general)
2) 供述書 _kyoujutsusho_ (pre*sen*t + state + write) (judicial context)
3)証言 _shougen_ (general term)

There are some other words depending on certain contexts 

I hope it was interesting to read Japanese again.


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## ThomasK

Thanks, everyone!

Italian/Portuguese/ Spanish: can you use to witness when referring to describing one's feelings with regard to certain facts/ events one was part of/ involved in ? (I did not find that meaning in teh Portuguese examples)

@Ancalimon: interesting to see the different foci in Turkish and Finnish for example, one focussing on knowing, the other on proving. Of course both refer to truth, but there seems to be some difference, that might account for different uses. The semantic aspect in Finnish reminded me of my prove/ test/ taste thread. 

@ *涼宮* : the variety of Japanese verbs remains intriguing. 
I see the _su(ru) _and the _au _kanjis (if that is the right word here), but I wonder about certain links as in 1/2: I see _shou + mei/ gen_, resulting in evidence, despite difference in kanji, and the _suru _meaning 'say' and 'light', even 'do'. Does _suru _have all those meanings? That would be even more intriguing than what I have discovered so far... ;-)
The beating/ conquering: do they refer to the suddenness of the fact or to the observing? 
4 : is it like getting struck by that beauty? 
5: what does 'stand up' refer to here? (I do see five kanjis, but only two words in the explanation)
6: the first kanji seems very... threatening indeed ! ;-)
8 : I thought there was a link with 1/2 (_sh... su_), but only in the second part, I guess

1: attacking - what is the link with witnessing ? Can the testimony be like an attack of the guilty person? 

Witnessing clearly refers to speaking and writing... But can you 'witness' about things you went through, about their emotional impact (not just factual)?


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## AquisM

ThomasK said:


> @Aquis: does 目击 imply talking about it as well, automatically? I suppose it does; my observation is not that important, I gather, as it is only when one is prepared to talk about the things one has seen, that one is a true (...) witness.


I suppose so. One can't really tell others they have witnessed something without saying what they have witnessed.


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> ...
> @Apmoy: how come there is a specific word for judicial testimonies, do you think? Is the κατά- important, in the sense that it refers to declaring (down). Would you think the association witnessing/martyrdom is exclusively Christian, or could there have been a step-in-between before?


Yes the preposition «κατά» is absolutely important. The feminine noun «θέσις» (Classical Gr.) and «θέση» (Modern Gr.) is simply the setting, placing. «Κατάθεση» is lit. the           laying down which is exactly what the witness is doing before the magistrate: s/he is "laying down" his/her first-hand or expert evidence (under oath). As for martyr and martyrdom, I think the suffering or dying for my religious belief was a revolutionary concept in the Greco-Roman world and is exclusively Christian (and Islamic afterwards): my death for my beliefs made me a martyr i.e. an affirmative witness to my beliefs.  


ThomasK said:


> @Apmoy and Outsider: could you illustrate this non-judicial verb in a context, just to make sure we are referring to the same meaning? And: is it commonly used ?
> ...


I actually do have a couple of examples: 
A) Archaeological Record--> «Αρχαιολογική *Μαρτυρία*» /arçeoloʝi'ci marti'ria/ (Archaeological Record is according to Wiki: _the body of physical (i.e. not written) evidence about the past_)
B) The set phrase «έχει την έξωθεν *καλή* *μαρτυρία*» /'eçi tin 'eksoθen ka'li marti'ria/ lit. s/he has the world's *commendation *(i.e s/he is well respected by everyone)


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## ThomasK

@Aquis: you're right, but there are witnesses who are not willing to... witness (in public), aren't there? 

I see, Apmoy, thanks. --- We use witnessing (but not the noun) in a quite different way for 'in-depth' talking (telling) about experiences from an emotional, more-than-factual viewpoint. We even have people who are called _ervaringsdeskundigen_ (competent by experience, e.g. living in poverty), who are able to talk not just about the financial problems but about the emotional-social problems caused by it,a nd who are able, so we assume, to suggest to policy-makers what to do. You see ?


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## mataripis

In Tagalog, witness is "Saksi" and Testimony" is "May patotoo or katunayan .


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## ThomasK

So different roots ???


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## Anja.Ann

ThomasK said:


> Thanks, everyone!
> Italian/Portuguese/ Spanish: can you use to witness when referring to describing one's feelings with regard to certain facts/ events one was part of/ involved in ? (I did not find that meaning in teh Portuguese examples)



Yes, Thomask, as far as Italian is concerned, we do use "testimoniare" when describing feelings and events you may be involved: 

1) Questo dono testimonia tutto il mio affetto (literally: _This gift witnesses my love)
_2) Posso testimoniare la verità di questa dichiarazione (literally: _I can witness to the truth of this statement_)


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## ThomasK

Thanks, Anja.Ann, for the examples but we mean something different in Dutch. 

Imagine a crime, a shock, a huge loss, suffered by someone. We can ask that person to _getuigen _about it, i.e., not just confirm the truth, but to speak up, express the feelings that are triggered by those (tragic, ...) events, the whole 'story', not just the facts. I'd like to find other words to explain what we mean, but I don't seem to find a word in English: not the factual testimony (though it is part of it), but especially the emotional aspects of it.


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## aruniyan

mataripis said:


> In Tagalog, witness is "Saksi" and Testimony" is "May patotoo or katunayan .



Saaksi is also Sanskrit word for witness...

In Tamil we have 
Saatchi - Witness (Sanskrit)
Saatchiyam - Testimony
Saanru - Proof , along with,
Saarbu - Rely upon.


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## ThomasK

Thanks, Aruniyan. Is the saa- some kind of root (referring to truth, or evidence ?)? 

In the meantime I checked on our word _getuigen_, and _tuigen _is supposed to refer to the old verb _tijgen_, 'to pull, to draw'. So witnesses were those people drawn to court in order to testify, justify, prove, etc. So no direct etymological link with truth in Dutch.


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## 涼宮

ThomasK said:


> I don't think the Spanish one can be used for that, perhaps it can, but I don't really know
> 
> I see the _su(ru) _and the _au _kanjis (if that is the right word here), but I wonder about certain links as in 1/2: I see _shou + mei/ gen_, resulting in evidence, despite difference in kanji, and the _suru _meaning 'say' and 'light', even 'do'. Does _suru _have all those meanings? That would be even more intriguing than what I have discovered so far... ;-). No no no! I didn't include suru in the lit translation because I guessed you already knew what _suru_ means and that it turns nouns into verbs as I had explained to you in another thread. What means light/say is 明/言. _Suru_ can get to mean other things if I use kanji.
> The beating/ conquering: do they refer to the suddenness of the fact or to the observing? 撃 is the same kanji for attack, conquering and beating, it can mean those 3. It refers to witness things like accidents, crashes, etc. I think that that kanji must refer to damage, but I don't know if it necessarily needs to be a sudden event.
> 4 : is it like getting struck by that beauty? I don't think that you exactly get struck by that beauty, but you certainly think it's marvelous. Perhaps it can be used in literature or in a poetical way, to that extent I don't know.
> 5: what does 'stand up' refer to here? (I do see five kanjis, but only two words in the explanation) There are only 2 kanji there *立*つ _tatsu_ stand up and *会*う _au_ meet  the rest are kana, not kanji. 'stand up' means exactly that, you are sitting, or laying on the ground and you stand up! But that verb can also mean to find oneself in a certain position, e.g. difficult position. I think that is more properly the meaning that kanji intends to give for saying ''to witness''.
> 6: the first kanji seems very... threatening indeed ! ;-) I find it easier to write than 撃
> 8 : I thought there was a link with 1/2 (_sh... su_), but only in the second part, I guess. The link between 1 & 2 is, apart from both being a noun turned into a verb by _suru_, the first kanji 証 _shou_ 'evidence'
> 
> 1: attacking - what is the link with witnessing ? Can the testimony be like an attack of the guilty person? You don't exactly take damage, you are a witness for accidents, it can also mean eye-witness. In Japanese, it is not as easy as German (perhaps Dutch too) to find a more logical explanation when compund words are made. In German you don't change the pronunciation of something, you just put the words together and voilà, compound word made. But in Japanese the reading changes completely, and since a kanji can get to mean many things, it's not always easy to find why literally it uses a certain kanji  an agglutinative language like Japanese is not as simple as German, unfortunately.
> I looked for the meaning of 目撃(者) in JP, and it uses attack/beating/conquer, because of what I told you, you witness things like fightings/traffic accidents, crashes, etc, you use that when you are present in the scene and you actually see it.
> 
> Witnessing clearly refers to speaking and writing... But can you 'witness' about things you went through, about their emotional impact (not just factual)? Sure, use を経験する (7), which is more like experience. Going thru something is experiencing something. But I don't think it exactly refers to an emotional imptact, but there must be a verb for saying exactly that considering how specific Japanese is


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## ThomasK

Forgive me if I am a slow learner - I suddenly did remember the _suru_, but I was late... 

As for the other additions: great, thanks !
- beating: damage, yes, of course !
- _struck by beauty_: it can be said in English, so it seems
- _stand up_: I see!

I am sorry for trying to see more than there is. I do assume too often that it works like in Germanic languages. Thanks for your patience though!


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## 涼宮

ThomasK said:


> Forgive me if I am a slow learner - I suddenly did remember the suru, but I was late...
> 
> I am sorry for trying to see more than there is. I do assume too often that it works like in Germanic languages. Thanks for your patience though!



Don't worry . Japanese is a language I am always happy to explain or help with whenever I can.


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## Outsider

ThomasK said:


> Imagine a crime, a shock, a huge loss, suffered by someone. We can ask that person to _getuigen _about it, i.e., not just confirm the truth, but to speak up, express the feelings that are triggered by those (tragic, ...) events, the whole 'story', not just the facts. I'd like to find other words to explain what we mean, but I don't seem to find a word in English: not the factual testimony (though it is part of it), but especially the emotional aspects of it.


I think you could say "dar um testemunho/testemunhar" in Portuguese, but it would be nice if you gave a couple of example sentences.

Incidentally, Jehovah's Witnesses are called Testemunhas de Jeová, like in English. Perhaps this is close to what you mean.


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## ThomasK

Well, Sr Outsider, just imagine an accident, something terrible, something that goes deep into your heart. We would then invite you to share your experiences, so much more than a factual report. So not what the Jehovah's Witnesses do, as that is quite ideological. No, getuigen is meant to be about what goes on, has been going on, outside and inside your heart. You see? _Dar un testemunho _might do the job indeed.


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## Outsider

ThomasK said:


> Well, Sr Outsider, just imagine an accident, something terrible, something that goes deep into your heart. We would then invite you to share your experiences, so much more than a factual report. [...] No, getuigen is meant to be about what goes on, has been going on, outside and inside your heart. You see? _Dar un testemunho _might do the job indeed.


Like, say, someone standing up and talking about their alcohol addiction at an AA meeting?... Or a victim of discrimination speaking up about it?... Yes, you could call that _um testemunho_, and describe the action as _dar um testemunho_.


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## ThomasK

Yes, quite so. And I suppose it is quite common in that meaning. IN Hungarian it seemed to be quite uncommon to refer to it as _getuigenis/ testemunho_.


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## AquisM

Sorry, I forgot to mention how to say _to testify _in Chinese: 作证/作證 (Mandarin: zuozheng/Cantonese: zok zing - lit. be proof).
_To testify against X_: 指证/指證 X (Mandarin: zhizheng/Cantonese: zi zing - lit. point (out X and) prove).


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## ThomasK

No problem. How about the situation sketched by Outsider in #26? Would you be able to use any of those words in that context ?


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## AquisM

No. The words I've given you so far (except for a few specified ones) are used strictly in a judicial sense. One can not 作证 to their alcohol addiction, nor can one give a 证供 of their alcohol addiction. We would call it exactly how you have put it - 分享经历/分享經歷 (Mandarin: fenxiang jingli/Cantonese: fan heung ging lik - share (your) experiences).


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## ThomasK

Thanks. I had been wondering about our use of _getuigen_, but after reading this and other reactions, my overall conclusion - that the use of the word shows that we tend towards over-emphasizing the role of feelings - might not be justified: there have always been other expressions, in all languages, for this sharing of feelings, etc.


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## tFighterPilot

Hebrew:
Witness: עד: 'ed
Testimony: עדות 'edút


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## ThomasK

Are both verb and person the same ?


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## tFighterPilot

ThomasK said:


> Are both verb and person the same ?


Oh, sorry. To testify: להעיד Leha'íd.


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## ThomasK

Forgive me for asking for confirmation: do they have the same _ed/id _root? And maybe: can you use any in a non-judicial sense?


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## tFighterPilot

ThomasK said:


> Forgive me for asking for confirmation: do they have the same _ed/id _root? And maybe: can you use any in a non-judicial sense?


Yes, all belong to the ע.ד root. They are used almost always in the judicial sense, but can generally be used wherever their English counterparts are.


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## arielipi

I wonder if judicial and all of its related words are linked somehow to jew. Reminder: jew= jude in german.


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## ThomasK

I checked that at etymonline, but that hypothesis is not confirmed: 



> Aramaic _jehudhai_ (Heb. _y'hudi_) "Jew," from _Y'hudah_ "Judah," lit. "celebrated,"


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## AquisM

I'm quite sure it is descended from Latin, similar to _justice_ (from Lat. _iustitia_ via French), _judge _(from Lat. _iudex_)...

Here, the Online Etymology Dictionary states the origin of _judicial_ to be Lat. _iudicalis_: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=judicial


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## arielipi

Thanks.


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## mataripis

ThomasK said:


> So different roots ???


Saksi is an old word that is related to "Kinasihan"(approved by Divine presence) while "Patotoo" has root word "totoo"  (real or true)


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## morior_invictus

Slovak:

*to witness* = svedčiť, podať svedeckú výpoveď
*a witness* = svedok
*a testimony* = svedecká výpoveď, svedectvo


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## ThomasK

Can the the sved- root be used more broadly? In non-'testi/witness' words? I guess the root is the same as 'wit', 'to know'...


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## morior_invictus

Všetko *svedč*í o tom, že... / Všetko na*svedč*uje tomu, že… = All the indications are that… (*svedčiť o* _niečom_ = to indicate that...)
Tie šaty ti *sved*čia. = That dress becomes you. (*svedčiť* _niekomu_ = to become someone / to be attractive on someone)
Niektorí *svedč*ili, že videli nahého mimozemšťana. = Some testified that they saw a naked alien (i.e. a scantily dressed creature from outer space) (*svedčiť* = to testify)
Do*svedč*ím, že hovorí pravdu. = I will prove that he/she is telling the truth. (*dosvedčiť* _niečo_ = to prove something)
Bol u*svedč*ený z vraždy. = He was convicted of murder. (*usvedčiť *_niekoho_ *z* _niečoho_ = to convict someone of something)
Pre*svedč*ím ťa o opaku. = I will convince you of the reverse. (*presvedčiť* _niekoho_* o* _niečom_ = to convince someone of something)
Ne*svedč*í sa ukazovať pánom holé nohy. = It is not appropriate to expose bare legs to men. (*svedčiť sa *= to be proper/ to be appropriate)


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## ThomasK

Very interesting: could it be a verb meaning seeing and knowing? Etymonline.com:

[ENG wit, n.] "from PIE **weid*- "to see," metaphorically "to know" (see vision)."


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## bibax

Czech: *svědek* (fem. svědkyně), *svědčiti*, *svědectví*;

The root is *-věd-* (věděti = to know < viděti = to see).

The prefix *s-* means together (with others), cf. Lat. conscire and Old English gewita.

Lat. conscientia =
1. _knowledge shared with others, joint knowledge_; complicity
2. _knowledge within oneself_; consciousness
3. _knowledge within oneself of right or wrong_; conscience; remorse

In Czech: 2. vědomí (consciousness) 3. svědomí (conscience);


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## ThomasK

Great information!

Interesting paraphrases of _conscientia_! In Dutch:
1. [_medeweten_ (co-knowing) --- _gedeelde kennis_ ? (shared knowledge)]/
2. _bewustzijn_ (_wust_ < weten, know)/
3. _geweten_ (weten, to know)


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## bibax

ThomasK said:


> Can you use the verb in a non-judicial sense?


Yes, for example:

Pobyt u moře mu svědčí. = The stay at sea "witnesses" for him (... is beneficial for him/his health; ... does him good).


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## morior_invictus

ThomasK said:


> Very interesting: could it be a verb meaning seeing and knowing? Etymonline.com:
> 
> [ENG wit, n.] "from PIE **weid*- "to see," metaphorically "to know" (see vision)."


Well, it seems that there is some connection. See the detailed excerpt on "(21.23) Witness (sb.)" from _BUCK, C. D. 1988. A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages. p. 1435-1436_ that is available on the Internet.


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## momai

*Arabic:
- to witness : shahida شهد (root:sh-h-d to see ,to witness)
- a witness : shaahid شاهد
- a testimony :shahaada شهادة
shahaada *could also mean many other things eg.:a certifaicate or Shahada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .



ThomasK said:


> Can you use the verb in a non-judicial sense?


Yes.


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## Dymn

*Catalan*:
Witness (v): _presenciar, ser testimoni de_
Witness (n): _testimoni_
Testimony (n): _testimoni, testimoniatge _(less common)

We can use the verb in a non-judicial sense.



涼宮 said:


> *Spanish*:
> 
> To witness = atestiguar/testificar (only judicial stuff)
> a witness = un testigo
> a testimony = un testimonio


I think _atestiguar _and _testificar _would be translated as "to testify". "To witness" would be _presenciar _or _ser testigo de._


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## ilocas2

An example of a *witness* is Robert T. Pennock who gave a *testimony* in the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District case in 2005.


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