rotten borough Hear it!

rotten borough definition

rotten borough

  1. in England (before the Reform Act of 1832), a borough with only a few voters but with the right to send a representative to Parliament
  2. any electoral district or political unit with greater representation than its population warrants

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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