Beweis

Etymology
From the verb.

Noun

 * 1)  proof
 * 2)  proof
 * 3)  evidence, proof collectively
 * 1)  evidence, proof collectively

Usage notes

 * Generally, a Beweis is understood to be one piece of evidence that suffices to prove something. The plural Beweise can refer either to a plurality of such sufficient proofs, or to pieces of evidence that become proof by their combination. Therefore the German plural is often equivalent to the English uncountable singular. For example: Es gibt Beweise für die Entdeckung Amerikas durch die Wikinger. (“There is proof for the Vikings’ discovery of America.”)
 * The singular is used in German as in English for an intellectual study aimed at proving something, as in ein mathematischer Beweis (“a mathematical proof”).