ˈhəstiŋ, -tēŋ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hūsting, from Old Norse hūsthing, from hūs house + thing assembly — more at house , thing
1. : a deliberative assembly or council in early medieval England ; especially : one called by a king or other leader
2.
a. or hustings plural but singular in construction : a court held in London before the lord mayor, recorder, and sheriffs or aldermen
b. hustings plural but singular in construction , or hustings court : a local court in some cities in Virginia
3. or hustings plural but singular in construction : the upper end or dais of the guildhall where the London husting sits
4.
a. or hustings plural but singular in construction : a raised platform from which candidates for the British Parliament were formerly nominated and from which they addressed their constituency
b. : the proceedings at a parliamentary election
5. hustings plural but singular or plural in construction
a. : an election platform : stump
the charge … is expected to resound from political hustings throughout the land — Foreign Policy Bulletin
b. : an act or process of electioneering
an election which has generated far more excitement than the usual off-year hustings — Saturday Review
the rough give-and-take of the hustings — Yale Review