Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Wiktionary
n. 1 (context history English) The assembly of the Anglo-Saxon national council. 2 (rfv-sense) (context rare jocular English) An assembly, parliament or discursive gathering.
Wikipedia
The Witenaġemot ( Old English witena ġemōt modern English "meeting of wise men"), also known as the Witan (more properly the title of its members) was a political institution in Anglo-Saxon England which operated from before the 7th century until the 11th century. The witenagemots did not represent the political will of all England: before the unification of England in the 10th century, separate witenagemots were convened by the Kings of Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex and Wessex. The Witenagemot was an assembly of the ruling class whose primary function was to advise the king and whose membership was composed of the most important noblemen in England, both ecclesiastic and secular. The institution is thought to represent an aristocratic development of the ancient Germanic general assemblies, or folkmoots. In England, by the 7th century, these ancient folkmoots had developed into convocations of the land's most powerful and important people, including ealdormen, thegns, and senior clergy, to discuss matters of both national and local importance.
Usage examples of "witenagemot".
In the intervening time, however, there was an election, and we lost our majority in the Witenagemot, though only just barely.
As the leader of the opposition, I cannot let that happen if we ever want to control the Witenagemot again.
Only an earl may challenge, and the witenagemot decides whether the king must fight in person.
The witenagemot felt so disgraced that it shipped the survivors home without charge.
In requital of that debt are you prepared to tell me of some feat that will raise me in the eyes of the earls so that the witenagemot will favor my challenge to King Ufegeat?
Dad had ordered the witenagemot to assemble in Twigeport, which was the port city of Graetears, the shire at the north end of Fyrsieg.
It displayed no awesome array of battle honors, but for some reason voices were easier to hear in it, and its sheer size turned a witenagemot into an imposing spectacle.
The moot reeve informed His Majesty that the witenagemot of Baelmark had answered his summons, as if he were blind and could not see that for himself.
The witenagemot did not convene until noon and several earls appeared much later.
Take what I offer now, or I declare this witenagemot dissolved and give you until noon tomorrow to quit my realm!
And the witenagemot would certainly want to dispose of King Cynewulf as soon as possible.
The witenagemot is a wonderful opportunity for you to start rallying support, lad!
If the witenagemot really wants to jettison Cynewulf this time, it will have to promote a new family to royalty.
Not in living memory had the witenagemot been called into session to censure a reigning monarch.
It was not unknown for meetings of the witenagemot to break into riot.