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Webster 1913 Edition


Hustings

Hus′tings

,
Noun.
pl.
[OE.
husting
an assembly, coucil, AS.
h[GREEK]sting
; of Scand. origin; cf. Icel.
h[GREEK]s[GREEK]ing
;
h[GREEK]s
home +
[GREEK]ing
thing, assembly, meeting; akin to Dan. & Sw.
ting
, E.
thing
. See
House
, and
Thing
.]
1.
A court formerly held in several cities of England; specif., a court held in London, before the lord mayor, recorder, and sheriffs, to determine certain classes of suits for the recovery of lands within the city. In the progress of law reform this court has become unimportant.
Mozley & W.
2.
Any one of the temporary courts held for the election of members of the British Parliament.
3.
The platform on which candidates for Parliament formerly stood in addressing the electors.
[Eng.]
When the rotten
hustings
shake
In another month to his brazen lies.
Tennyson.

Webster 1828 Edition


Hustings

HUS'TINGS

, n.
1.
A court held in Guildhall, in London, before the lord mayor and aldermen of the city; the supreme court or council of the city. In this court are elected the aldermen and the four members of parliament.
2.
The place where an election of a member of parliament is held.

Definition 2024


hustings

hustings

English

Noun

hustings pl (plural only)

  1. A platform where candidates in an election give speeches; a husting.
    • 1749: Henry Fielding, From This World to the Next
      I now mounted the hustings, and, without any regard to decency or modesty, made as emphatical a speech in favour of the king as before I had done against him.
  2. (by extension) An election campaign.
    Washington is awfully deserted now that every congressman is out on the hustings.
Usage notes

The plural hustings is used more often than the singular husting for the concrete sense of 'platform'. For the metaphorical sense of 'campaign', the plural is used almost exclusively.

Translations

Etymology 2

Noun

hustings

  1. plural of husting