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legal brocard, "Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus," is a rule not more applicable to other witness than to consciousness. Sir W. Hamilton.

; to abash or disconcert by impudent or abusive words or looks; to bully; as, to browbeat witnesses. My grandfather was not a man to be browbeaten. W. Irving.

To invoke; to appeal to. I call God for a witness. 2 Cor. i. 23 [Rev. Ver. ]

tantial is distinguished from positive evidence in that the latter is the testimony of eyewitnesses to a fact or the admission of a party; but the prevalent opinion now is that all such testimony is dependent on circumstances for its support. All testimony is more or less circumstantial. Wharton.

A great crowd or multitude; a vast collection. "So great a cloud of witnesses." Heb. xii. 1.

To think over; to plan. He . . . is our witness, how we both day and night, revolving in our minds, did cogitate nothing more than how to satisfy the parts of a good pastor. Foxe.

Legal capacity or qualifications; fitness; as, the competency of a witness or of a evidence.

orld." Arrerbury. "Competent age." Grafton. "Competent statesmen." Palfrey. /"A competent witness." Bouvier.

, in which an offering of bread was made, in presence of the high priest and at least ten witnesses.

of; to render certain; to verify; to corroborate; as, to confirm a rumor. Your eyes shall witness and confirm my tale. Pope. These likelihoods confirm her flight. Shak.

Proof by witness; attestation; testimony. [Obs.] A solemn contestation ratified on the part of God. Barrow.

quality of being credible; credibleness; as, the credibility of facts; the credibility of witnesses.

Worthy of belief. [Obs.] Divers creditable witnesses deposed. Ludlow.

Weak; inconsistent; contradictory. [R.] The evidance is crimp; the witnesses swear backward and forward, and contradict themselves. Arbuthnot.

The interrogating or questioning of a witness by the party against whom he has been called and examined. See Examination.

To examine or question, as a witness who has been called and examined by the opposite party. "The opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses." Kent.

A writ to commission private persons to do some act in place of a judge, as to examine a witness, etc. Bouvier.

signed, especially of the defendant in a suit when called to make answer; also of jurors, witnesses, etc. In default of, in case of failure or lack of. Cooks could make artificial birds and fishes in default of the real ones. Arbuthnot. -- To suffer a default (Law), to permit an action to be called without appearing to…

us train of dependents. A host of dependents on the court, suborned to play their part as witnesses. Hallam.

To testify under oath; to depose; to bear witness. [A Scotticism] The fairy Glorians, whose credibility on this point can not be called in question, depones to the confinement of Merlin in a tree. Dunlop.