English

Noun

earwitness ‎(plural earwitnesses)

1. A witness who gives evidence of what he or she has heard.
   • 1745 May 9, Joseph Butler, “A Sermon Preached in the Parish Church of Christ-Church, London; on Thursday, May 9, 1745. Being the Time of the Yearly Meeting of the Children Educated in the Charity-Schools, in and about the Cities of London and Westminster. [Sermon IV.]”, in Fifteen Sermons Preached at the Rolls Chapel [...] To which are Added Six Sermons Preached on Publick Occasions, 5th edition, London: Printed for Robert Horsfield, at the Crown in Ludgate-Street, published 1765, OCLC 642365259, page 106:

     But the Poor, as they cannot provide Persons to educate their Children; so from the Way in which they live together in poor Families, a Child must be an Eye and Ear-witness of the worst Part of his Parents Talk and Behaviour.

   • 1851, Are Roman Catholics Allowed to Read the Bible? A Compendium of the Doctrine and Practice of the Church of Rome, in Reference to the Use of Scripture; Contained in a Correspondence, between a Roman Catholic Layman, and a Protestant Layman. Occasioned by a Late Meeting on the Papal Aggression, London: Seeleys. Fleet Street, and Hanover Street; London: T. Edmondson; Lancaster, OCLC 8496274, page 63:

     My object being to ascertain the truth, and the truth only, on receiving your last letter I immediately wrote to the Rev. H. Seymour, author of the "Pilgrimage to Rome," although I have no acquaintance with him–and I now give you the evidence of this eye and ear-witness, as copied from his letter, dated Bath, Feb. 6th, 1851, now lying before me.

   • 1999, Ray Bull; Brian Clifford, “Earwitness Testimony”, in Anthony Heaton-Armstrong, Eric Shepherd, and David Wolchover, editors, Analysing Witness Testimony, London: Blackstone Press, ISBN 978-1-85431-731-5, page 194:

     In December 1996 almost the entire front page of a daily newspaper was devoted to the report of a court case involving earwitness testimony.

   • 2001, Diana Dwyer, “Witness Testimony”, in Angles on Criminal Psychology (Angles on Psychology Series), Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes, ISBN 978-0-7487-5977-4, page 72:

     Compared with eyewitness testimony very little research has been conducted on the accuracy of ‘earwitness’ testimony, the identification of an individual by voice.

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• wateriness