1. a person who testifies to the innocence or good character of an accused person
Usage: historical; legal

Examples

• In medieval courts, a compurgator would swear an oath supporting the defendant’s claim of innocence.
• The accused brought twelve compurgators to testify to his good reputation.
• Under Anglo-Saxon law, compurgators played a crucial role in the judicial process.
• The system of compurgation required the defendant to find reliable compurgators.
• A compurgator’s testimony was based on knowledge of the accused’s character rather than the specific crime.
• The practice of using compurgators gradually declined as evidence-based trials became more common.