entry
evidence
/ˈɛvɪdəns/Information that supports a belief or conclusion
From Latin vid (seeing).
from Late Latin evidentia "proof," in classical Latin "distinction, vivid presentation, clearness" in rhetoric
+1 more sourcefrom Old French evidence
+1 more sourcefrom Old French evidence
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Late Latin evidentia "proof," in classical Latin "distinction, vivid presentation, clearness" in rhetoric
+1 more sourcefrom Old French evidence
+1 more sourcefrom Old French evidence
+1 more sourceImagine a medieval thinker staring at a footprint in mud and saying, in effect, “Here is something clear enough to make an inference.” That is the original force of *evidence*: not yet courtroom paperwork, but an appearance that lets the mind see what is otherwise hidden. Around 1300, English borrowed the word through Old French from Late Latin *evidentia*, which meant “clearness” and then “proof”; its Latin source, *evidens*, meant “obvious” or “apparent.” The legal sense arrived around 1500 and gradually pushed aside the older word *witness* for material or testimony presented to establish a fact. The family resemblance to *video* and *vision* is no accident: *evidence* is what makes an unseen conclusion visible to the mind. Tomorrow, remember it as intellectual light—not certainty itself, but whatever lets you see why certainty might be reasonable.
The Story
Imagine a medieval thinker staring at a footprint in mud and saying, in effect, “Here is something clear enough to make an inference.” That is the original force of *evidence*: not yet courtroom paperwork, but an appearance that lets the mind see what is otherwise hidden. Around 1300, English borrowed the word through Old French from Late Latin *evidentia*, which meant “clearness” and then “proof”; its Latin source, *evidens*, meant “obvious” or “apparent.” The legal sense arrived around 1500 and gradually pushed aside the older word *witness* for material or testimony presented to establish a fact. The family resemblance to *video* and *vision* is no accident: *evidence* is what makes an unseen conclusion visible to the mind. Tomorrow, remember it as intellectual light—not certainty itself, but whatever lets you see why certainty might be reasonable.
Modern Usage
Humorous slang for a body or incriminating material someone is trying to conceal
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries using “evidence” for a hidden body or as a joking contrast with unsupported certainty
Kin & Kindred
From 'vid'·seeing, making clear, apparent
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary