Evidence
Etymology
From Latin "evidentia" (clearness), from "evidens" (plainly visible, obvious) — "e-" (out) plus "videre" (to see). Evidence is, at root, what can be seen plainly; the word carries the promise that the facts are there for anyone to look at.
noun · /EV-ih-dents/
Observable facts offered to support or weaken a claim.
What it names
Use it for the material that should move a belief — the input to a conclusion, distinct from the conclusion itself.
Example
The alibi was a story; the timestamped receipt was evidence.
Related idea
Evidence is not proof: evidence raises or lowers the probability of a claim, while proof settles it. A pile of weak evidence can point one way and still be wrong; treating suggestive evidence as proof is a routine error.
See also