wapentake

wapentake
wapentake division of certain English counties (equivalent to a hundred in other places), O.E. wæpengetæc, from O.N. vapnatak, from vapna, genitive plural of vapn "weapon" (see WEAPON (Cf. weapon)) + tak "touching," from taka "to take, grasp." Perhaps it originally was an armed muster with inspection of weapons, or else an assembly where consent was expressed by brandishing swords and spears.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • wapentake — A local division of a shire or county in old English law; the term used north of the Trent River for the territory called a hundred in other parts of England. Dictionary from West s Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. wapentake …   Law dictionary

  • Wapentake — Wap en*take (?; 277), n. [AS. w?penge??c, w?pent[=a]c, from Icel. v[=a]pnat[=a]k, literally, a weapon taking or weapon touching, hence an expression of assent ( si displicuit sententia fremitu aspernantur; sin placuit frameas concutiunt. Tacitus …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wapentake — [wäp′ən tāk΄, wap′ən tāk΄] n. [ME < OE wapentac < ON vapnatak, lit., a weapon taking (< vapn, WEAPON + tak, a taking, commandeering < taka, to TAKE): prob. used territorially from ceremony in which vassals touched the raised spear of… …   English World dictionary

  • wapentake — noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wǣpentæc, from Old Norse vāpnatak act of grasping weapons, from vāpn weapon + tak act of grasping, from taka to take; probably from the brandishing of weapons as an expression of approval when the… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • wapentake — /wop euhn tayk , wap /, n. (formerly in N England and the Midlands) a subdivision of a shire or county corresponding to a hundred. [bef. 1000; ME < ON vapnatak (cf. OE waepen getaec) show of weapons at public voting, equiv. to vapna (gen. pl. of… …   Universalium

  • Wapentake — Term used in the *Danelaw for a division or subdivision of a *county; also the court of such a division; equivalent to a southern English *hundred. Wapentake = literally a weapon take , i.e. a place to which arms were not taken, only being taken… …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • wapentake — noun /ˈwɒp.ən.teɪk/ An administrative subdivision in northern English counties, developed under Norse influence, and corresponding to hundreds in the rest of England …   Wiktionary

  • wapentake — [ wɒp(ə)nteɪk, wap ] noun historical a subdivision of certain northern and midland English counties, corresponding to a hundred in other counties. Origin OE wpen(ge)tæc, from ON vápnatak, from vápn weapon + taka take , perh. with ref. to voting… …   English new terms dictionary

  • Wapentake — In northern England and the Midlands, a subdivision of a shire; the equivalent of a hundred. ♦ Equivalent of a hundred in the Danelaw. (Wood, Michael. Domesday: A Search for the Roots of England, 214) Related terms: Hide …   Medieval glossary

  • wapentake — wap·en·take …   English syllables

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