Monday Word: Althing

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

althing [ahl-thing, awl-]

noun

the parliament of Iceland, consisting of an upper and a lower house.

examples

1....the hatreds and behind-backs
of the althing, lies and women,
exhaustions nominated peace,
memory incubating the spilled blood,,, "North" by Seamus Heaney

2.From the moment self-government lost touch with "self" -- departing the agora of Athens, the 'althing' of Reykyavik and the town meeting of New England -- it adapted itself to nations and peoples. "It Depends on What You Mean by Democracy" Simon Jenkins, Huffington Post, 2008


origin
from Icelandic Alþingi, from Old Norse alþingi, from allr (“all”) + þing (“Thing”).