wapentake

[wop-uh n-teyk, wap-]

noun

(formerly in N England and the Midlands) a subdivision of a shire or county corresponding to a hundred.

Origin of wapentake

before 1000; Middle English < Old Norse vāpnatak (compare Old English wǣpen-getæc) show of weapons at public voting, equivalent to vāpna (genitive plural of vāpn weapon) + tak taking; see take

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wapentake

Historical Examples of wapentake

The "Trithing" was a Danish institution, so also was the wapentake.
The Danes in Lancashire and Yorkshire
S. W. Partington
Beside one smaller estate there are in this wapentake three manors.
Domesday Book and Beyond
Frederic William Maitland
The origin of the wapentake is woepenge-toc, woepentac, from the Icelandic vapnatak.
Cathedral Cities of England
George Gilbert
We believe that even the word "wapentake" has changed its meaning.
The Man Who Laughs
Victor Hugo
It was the wapentake striking his wand against a sheet of iron.
The Man Who Laughs
Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for wapentake

wapentake

noun

English legal history a subdivision of certain shires or counties, esp in the Midlands and North of England, corresponding to the hundred in other shires

Word Origin for wapentake

Old English wǣpen (ge) tæc, from Old Norse vāpnatak, from vápn weapon + tak take

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for wapentake

division of certain English counties (equivalent to a hundred in other places), Old English wæpengetæc, from Old Norse vapnatak, from vapna, genitive plural of vapn "weapon" (see weapon) + tak "touching," from taka "to take, grasp." Perhaps it originally was an armed muster with inspection of weapons, or else an assembly where consent was expressed by brandishing swords and spears.