Basic Legal Vocabulary
The typography uses a difference in the size of the letters to indicate which syllable of the word is stressed. Illustrative sentences are put in italics.
will
n. a legal document declaring a person's wishes regarding the disposal of their property when they die — see also estate, probate
Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer died in Switzerland shortly after the war, in extreme poverty, never having retrieved his property, which he left to Maria Altmann and her brother and sister in his will.
will v. leave or give by will after one's death
We usually say "My aunt left me her diamond necklace in her will" rather than "My aunt willed me her diamond necklace."
witness
n. someone who comes to court and tells what he knows about a matter before the court — see testify
Every day, in courtrooms across the country, economists, statisticians, engineers, doctors, and psychologists raise their right hand and swear to tell the truth.
Expert witnesses are used in all types of cases.
v. to perceive an event by seeing, hearing, smelling or other sensory perception
He witnessed the accident on his way home.
The verb for what a witness does in a courtroom is testify.