witan

[ wit-n, -ahn ]

/ ˈwɪt n, -ɑn /

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noun Early English History.

the members of the national council or witenagemot.

(used with a singular verb) the witenagemot.

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Origin of witan

1800–10; Modern English <Old English, plural of wita one who knows, councilor; akin to wit²

Words nearby witan

wisteria, wistful, wistfully, wistfulness, wit, witan, witbier, witblits, witch, witch alder, witch ball

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use witan in a sentence

The only other central authority in the state was the king's council or court (eod, witan, plebs, concilium).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
The gate in the privet hedge of The Witan had had little rest all the afternoon.
A Crooked Mile|Oliver Onions
But for all that she had not hesitated to use her "pull" in order to get him to The Witan that day.
A Crooked Mile|Oliver Onions
The members of the Witan remained in attendance near the palace, hoping for some guidance from the dying king.
Wulf the Saxon|G. A. Henty

Persons of distinction, like the members of the Witan, wore a sugar-loaf shaped cap.
A Handbook of Pictorial History|Henry W. Donald

British Dictionary definitions for witan

witan

/ (ˈwɪtən) /

noun (in Anglo-Saxon England)

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

the members of this assembly

Also: witenagemot

Word Origin for witan

Old English witan, plural of wita wise man; see wit ², witness

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