What is "privileged witnesses"

Privileged \Priv"i*leged\, a. Invested with a privilege; enjoying a peculiar right, advantage, or immunity. Privileged communication. (Law)

1. A communication which can not be disclosed without the consent of the party making it, -- such as those made by a client to his legal adviser, or by persons to their religious or medical advisers.

2. A communication which does not expose the party making it to indictment for libel, -- such as those made by persons communicating confidentially with a government, persons consulted confidentially as to the character of servants, etc.

   Privileged debts (Law), those to which a preference in payment is given out of the estate of a deceased person, or out of the estate of an insolvent.
   --Wharton.
   --Burrill.

   Privileged witnesses (Law) witnesses who are not obliged to testify as to certain things, as lawyers in relation to their dealings with their clients, and officers of state as to state secrets; also, by statute, clergymen and physicans are placed in the same category, so far as concerns information received by them professionally.

Witness \Wit"ness\, n. [AS. witness, gewitnes, from witan to know. [root]133. See Wit, v. i.]

1. Attestation of a fact or an event; testimony.

   May we with . . . the witness of a good conscience, pursue him with any further revenge?
   --Shak.

   If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
   --John v. 31.

2. That which furnishes evidence or proof.

   Laban said to Jacob, . . . This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness.
   --Gen. xxxi. 51, 52.

3. One who is cognizant; a person who beholds, or otherwise has personal knowledge of, anything; as, an eyewitness; an earwitness. ``Thyself art witness I am betrothed.''
   --Shak.

   Upon my looking round, I was witness to appearances which filled me with melancholy and regret.
   --R. Hall.

4. (Law)

   1. One who testifies in a cause, or gives evidence before a judicial tribunal; as, the witness in court agreed in all essential facts.

   2. One who sees the execution of an instrument, and subscribes it for the purpose of confirming its authenticity by his testimony; one who witnesses a will, a deed, a marriage, or the like.

      Privileged witnesses. (Law) See under Privileged.

      With a witness, effectually; to a great degree; with great force, so as to leave some mark as a testimony. [Colloq.]

      This, I confess, is haste with a witness.
      --South.