An assembly or gathering of common people, especially in Anglo-Saxon and medieval times, to discuss community matters or hold court.
Folk (Old English 'folc' = people) + moot (Old English 'gemot' = meeting or assembly). This was an actual governing institution in Anglo-Saxon England where free men could gather to make decisions.
Folkmoots were surprisingly democratic for their time—ordinary free men had a voice in decisions—but this system only worked when communities were small enough to gather in person, which is why it disappeared as society got larger and more complex.
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