Wapentake
//ˈwɒp.ən.teɪk// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An administrative subdivision in northern English counties, developed under Norse influence, and corresponding to hundreds in the rest of England.
"Hollanders, Zelanders, Scots, French, Weſterne men, Northren men, beſides all the hundreds and wapentakes nine miles compaſſe, fetch the beſt of their viands and mangery from her market."
Example
More examples"Hollanders, Zelanders, Scots, French, Weſterne men, Northren men, beſides all the hundreds and wapentakes nine miles compaſſe, fetch the beſt of their viands and mangery from her market."
Etymology
From Middle English wapentake, wepentake, wapentache, wapentac, from Old English wǣpenġetæc, from Old Norse vápnatak, from vápn (“weapon”) + taka (“take”), equivalent to weapon + take.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.