As a witness to the glacier's retreat, the glaciologist documented its dramatic shrinkage over two decades.
作为冰川退缩的见证者，这位冰川学家记录了冰川在二十年间急剧退缩的过程。
- He was inspired after witnessing a serious accident at a Cleveland intersection with only a two-position stop-and-go signal.
From a Rhetorical Synthesis question · Expression of Ideas
Which choice best defines “witness”?
D — Person who sees; to observe. “witness” means person who sees; to observe.
Which word means “person who sees; to observe”?
C — witness. “witness” means person who sees; to observe.
witness — person who sees; to observe. In Chinese: 目击者，见证人；见证.
witness is pronounced /ˈwɪtnəs/.
As a witness to the glacier's retreat, the glaciologist documented its dramatic shrinkage over two decades. (作为冰川退缩的见证者，这位冰川学家记录了冰川在二十年间急剧退缩的过程。)
observer, spectator, eyewitness — all close in meaning to witness (person who sees; to observe).
participant, actor — each the opposite of witness (person who sees; to observe).
Yes. witness is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.
wit(see)+ness(person)