witan

Definition

The Anglo-Saxon national council or witenagemot.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Old English witan, plural of wita (“wise man”).

Example Sentences

• "But in estimating the powers of the witan, we must not lose sight of the fact, that the king sometimes assumes a tone of superiority scarcely consistent with its independence."
• "The folkland, the national fund, was administered and conveyed conjointly by the king and the witan."