witan

English - English

Definition of witan in English English dictionary

The members of such an assembly

The Anglo-Saxon national council or witenagemot

wise men; the members of the national, or king's, council which sat to assist the king in administrative and judicial matters; also, the council

or witenagemot Council of the Anglo-Saxon kings in medieval England. Usually attended by high-ranking nobles and bishops, the witan was expected to advise the king on all matters on which he chose to ask its opinion. It attested his grants of land to churches or laymen, consented to his issue of new laws, and helped him deal with rebels and disaffected subjects. Its composition and time of meeting were determined at the king's pleasure

{i} King's council in Anglo-Saxon England (History)

Lit

Hyphenation

wit·an

Etymology

() From Old English witan, plural of wita (“wise man”), or more literally "men of wit", "wits".