Evidence

Research

Data, examples, or sources used to support a claim — evaluated for relevance, sufficiency, and credibility.

Sources

1. Merriam-Webster — evidence merriam-webster.com accessed 23 September 2026

Merriam-Webster: “an outward sign : indication”; “something that furnishes proof”; and, in law, “something (as testimony, a writing, or an object) submitted at a judicial or administrative proceeding for the purpose of proving a party’s case”. From Latin evidens, clear or obvious, built on videre, to see. First recorded in the fourteenth century. The etymology is a useful corrective: evidence is what makes something visible, which is weaker than proof and stronger than assertion.

Merriam-Webster is cited as the dictionary of record: where an entry defines a word rather than a position, a dictionary is the primary source for it. The research usage described above is this lexicon’s own reading.

Related terms

• Abbreviation
• Abstract
• Abstraction
• Academic Database
• Analysis
• Annotation

From the AJG lexicon archive (July 2026).