Meanings
plural lawtings · alternative lawthing
- OrkneyShetlandhistoricalThe highest court, which was held every summer from medieval times until around the 17th century.
Thorvald evidently felt he had to clear himself of the charges and so, at the next lawthing, he had 'all logðingismenn of Shetland' (as they called themselves) write a letter of witness laying out the facts of the case as they saw them and testifying to Ragnhild's intemperate words.
2012, Olwyn Owen, editor, Things in the Viking World, Lerwick: Shetland Amenity Trust, →ISBN, page 14
Origin
- Old Norselǫg“law”
- Englishlawting
From Norn, ultimately from Old Norse lǫg (“law”) + þing (“a legal assembly”). Doublet of Lagting.
More words from Old Norse
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
lawting. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lawting
“lawting.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lawting. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lawting,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lawting.
Source: lawting on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.