Meanings
plural hustings
- historicalAn assembly, especially one of the retainers of a ruler.
In the Anglo-Norman period we hear of a sale of land taking place ‘in the presence of the whole husting of London, in the House of Alfwin son of Leofstan’ and of land deraigned ‘by judgment of the husting’.
2003, John Hamilton Baker, The Oxford History of the Laws of England: c. 900-1216, page 819
Origin
- Old Norsehúsþing“house assembly”
- Old Englishhūsting
- Middle Englishhusting
- Englishhusting
From Middle English husting, from Old English hūsting, borrowed from Old Norse húsþing (“house assembly”), from hús (“house”) + þing (“council, meeting”), equivalent to house + thing. Cognate with Icelandic húsþing (“assembly”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Old Norse
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
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Cite this entry
husting. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/husting
“husting.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/husting. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “husting,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/husting.
Source: husting on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.