witan

American  

[wit-n, -ahn] / ˈwɪt n, -ɑn /

noun

Early English History.

1. the members of the national council or witenagemot.

2. (used with a singular verb) the witenagemot.

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witan British  

/ ˈwɪtən /

noun

1. an assembly of higher ecclesiastics and important laymen, including king's thegns, that met to counsel the king on matters such as judicial problems

2. the members of this assembly

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Etymology

Origin of witan

1800–10; Modern English < Old English, plural of wita one who knows, councilor; akin to wit ²

Example Sentences

A "witan" in Anglo-Saxon times was the gathering of the king's advisers.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2013

Weid, a word meaning to see, with later connotations of wisdom and wit, entered Germanic as witan, and Old English wis to “wisdom.”

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Mid golde witodlice bi� wisdom get�cnod, swa swa Salomon cw��, "Gewilnigendlic gold-hord li� on ��s witan mu�e."

From The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church Containing the Sermones Catholici, or Homilies of ?lfric, in the Original Anglo-Saxon, with an English Version. Volume I. by Aelfric, Abbot of Eynsham

Although no see was vacant, the witan decreed that he should be made bishop, and he appears to have been consecrated accordingly.

From The English Church in the Middle Ages by Hunt, William

I have also steadily, and for some time, counselled peace in our witan.

From The Last of the Vikings by Bowling, John