evidence
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evidence
The totality of objects, documents, statements, and other information that serve as evidence in a legal or investigative proceeding.
Die Polizei sicherte am Tatort umfangreiches Beweismaterial.
The police secured extensive evidence at the crime scene.
The word is composed of 'Beweis' (evidence/proof) and 'Material' (material). So it literally describes the material that serves as evidence.
Das Videoband war das wichtigste Beweismaterial in diesem Fall.
The videotape was the most important evidence in this case.
'Beweismaterial' (evidence) is a collective term and is almost always used in the singular, even when it refers to many individual objects or documents. A plural form is very unusual.
Das gesamte Beweismaterial wurde dem Gericht vorgelegt.
All the evidence was presented to the court.
In a legal or police context, 'Beweismaterial' (evidence) is often 'gesammelt' (collected), 'gesichert' (secured), 'ausgewertet' (analyzed/evaluated), or 'vorgelegt' (presented) to the court.
Die Kriminaltechnik wertet das gefundene Beweismaterial aus.
The forensic team is analyzing the evidence that was found.
evidence
Both words refer to things, statements, or documents that serve as evidence in a proceeding. Beweismittel is a single piece of evidence, whereas Beweismaterial refers to the totality of the evidence collected. Use Beweismittel for a specific document or individual statement and Beweismaterial for the collection as a whole.
Die Ermittler prüften das gesamte Beweismaterial aus dem Verfahren.
The investigators examined all the evidence from the proceedings.
Das Video war im Verfahren ein wichtiges Beweismittel.
The video was an important piece of evidence in the proceedings.
