Dictionary.com

witan

[ wit-n, -ahn ]
/ ˈwɪt n, -ɑn /
Save This Word!

noun Early English History.
the members of the national council or witenagemot.
(used with a singular verb) the witenagemot.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of witan

1800–10; Modern English <Old English, plural of wita one who knows, councilor; akin to wit2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use witan in a sentence

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
FEEDBACK