但是，從語言實踐看，“物證”並不是什麽“material evidence”而是“physical evidence”：
1.On the other hand，police have never Or any physical evidence connecting him to confessed to——and later recanted.
——-Master Detective，found a body the crimes he
2. The crime scene team located the knife used in the slaying along With some Of Holland，s bloody clothing and other physical evidence.
—True Detective，May 1989，p.31
如果不用“physical evidence”，也可用“real evidence”表示“物證”如：
3.evidence，real.Known also as“demonstrative”and“objective”evidence.That which is afforded by production and inspection of material objects.
——L.B.Borazon，Dictionary of Law
4.Evidence.…。
The kinds of evidence usually produced are physical objects（real evidence），written statements and documents（documentary evidence），testimony of the parties （personal evidence），and testimony of expert witnesses on the conclusions or inferences to be drawn from facts found by measurement，testing or other examination（expert or opinion evidence）。
——The Oxford Companion to Law
那末，“material evidence”不是“物證”又是什麽呢？請看：
5.material evidence 實質性證據，物證，對審理的事實有影響的證據——《英漢法律詞典》其中的“物證”壹解，顯然是對“material”壹詞望文生義而誤解其實質涵義的結果 ——在這裏，“material”並非什麽“物質”！那麽這個“material”在法律文字中的實質涵義又是什麽呢？請看：
6.MATERIAL important，necessary；Relating to a given matter；generally speaking，any evidence is relevant and material which tends to prove or disprove any ultimate issue.……
壹Steven H.Gifts，Law Dictionary
據此，上引例5中的“物證”壹義就被否定了而其中的其他兩義則被肯定了。這（指上引例6）可不是孤證，因為下列兩例還將進壹步作出同樣的肯定和否定：
7.Material evidence實質上的證據：主要證據——香港洪士豪：《英漢法律辭典新編》material evidence實質性證據——《英漢國際經濟法律詞匯》（中國對外翻譯出版公司）
綜上所引，不難看出：“物證”在英語習慣中尚未見有作“material evidence”的。“物證”在英語中常見的表達為“physical evidence”和“real evidence”以及“demonstrative evidence”和“objective evidence”；偶爾也有用“autistics preference”的，但殊屬罕見。