burgess Definition
bur·gess (bʉr′jis)
noun
- Now Rare a citizen or freeman of a British borough
- Historical, Brit. a member of the British Parliament representing a borough, corporate town, or university
- an elected member of the colonial legislature of Md. or Va.
Etymology: ME & OFr burgeis: see bourgeois
Burgess Definition
Bur·gess (bʉr′jəs)
Burgess, (Frank) Gelett (jə let′) 1866-1951; U.S. humorist & illustrator
burgess Usage Examples
Converse of object
- admit: Andrew junior was admitted burgess of Brechin on 18th October 1736.
- grant: Richard, earl of Cornwall granted the burgesses a guild merchant in 1268.
- send: They all sent burgesses to Parliament from medieval times.
- become: He had become a burgess on 20th April 1765.
- make: In the previous year Ward, then living at St Annes, was made a burgess by order of the mayor.
- have: The Town of Henley was burnt down but quickly recovered for in 1295 it had 69 burgesses.
Converse of subject
- hold: M ( formerly Prescriptive ) Sun; mercatum, recorded 7 Sept 1201, held by burgesses of Wells.
- elect: The municipal authorities are a mayor, one justice, and two bailiffs, all elected annually by the resident burgesses.
Adjective modifier
- honorary: In the long list of the honorary burgesses of his suite is found the name of Samuel Pepys.
- assistant: Assistant burgesses retain their landholders ' rights, but on becoming capital burgesses they forfeit both assistant burgesses ' and landholders ' rights.
- free: It returns two members to parliament; the right of election is vested in about 200 free burgesses.
- new: In Dingwall, new burgesses could stay for ten years without paying rent.
- other: The traders or merchants sought naturally to enhance their status by banding together ( at the expense of other burgesses ).
- wealthy: The donor might be a manorial lord or wealthy burgess.
Modifies a noun
- hill: Group: Members Posts: 247 Joined: 6-September 05 From: burgess hill Member No.
- ticket: When they appear on 18th century burgess tickets, the arms are in color for the first time.
- roll: For some of the Scottish burghs, there are apprentice rolls and burgess rolls.
Noun used with modifier
- capital: It gave the king the power to dismiss capital burgesses he did not approve of.
- merchant: The Merchant Maiden Hospital was founded in 1695 for the education of daughters of decayed merchant burgesses of Edinburgh.
Preposition: of
town: When they had learned their trade, they might be admitted as burgesses of the town and to membership of trade and merchant guilds.
Browse dictionary entries near burgess
- ‹ -burger
- ‹ burger
- ‹ burgeon
- ‹ burgee
- ‹ Burgas
- ‹ burgage
- ‹ -burg
- ‹ burg
- ‹ Burford abstention
- ‹ burette
- Burgess, Anthony ›
- burgh ›
- -burgh ›
- burgher ›
- Burghley ›
- burglar ›
- burglar alarm circuit ›
- burglarious ›
- burglarize ›
- burglary ›

