ˈwapən.ˌtāk, ˈwäp- also ˈwȯp- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wǣpentæc, from Old Norse vāpnatak act of grasping weapons, from vāpna (gen. plural of vāpn weapon) + tak act of grasping, from taka to take; probably from the brandishing of weapons as an expression of approval when the chief of the wapentake entered upon his office — more at weapon , take
1. : a subdivision of some English shires (as Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire) corresponding to a hundred
2. : the court or court bailiff of a wapentake