Burgess definition

bûrjĭs
burgesses
See word origin
Frequency:
A freeman or citizen of an English borough.
noun
1
0
A member of the English Parliament who once represented a town, borough, or university.
noun
1
0
A member of the lower house of the legislature of colonial Virginia or Maryland.
noun
0
0
(now rare) A citizen or freeman of a British borough.
noun
0
0
(historical, brit.) A member of the British Parliament representing a borough, corporate town, or university.
noun
0
0
Advertisement
An elected member of the colonial legislature of Md. or Va.
noun
0
0
(person) 1866-1951; U.S. humorist & illustrator.
proper name
0
0
An inhabitant of a borough with full rights; a citizen.
noun
0
0
(historical) A town magistrate.
noun
0
0
(historical, UK) A representative of a borough in the Parliament.
noun
0
0
Advertisement
(historical, US) A member of the House of Burgesses, a legislative body in the colonial America, established by Virginia Company to provide civil rule in the colonies.
noun
0
0
A surname​.
pronoun
0
0

Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
burgess
Plural:
burgesses

Origin of burgess

  • Middle English burgeis from Old French from Late Latin burgēnsis from burgus fortified town bhergh-2 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Middle English burgeis, from Anglo-Norman burgeis, of Germanic origin; either from Late Latin burgensis < *burgus or Frankish. See also bourgeois, burgish.

    From Wiktionary

  • Anglo-Norman burgeis, of Germanic origin; either from Late Latin *burgus or Frankish

    From Wiktionary

Burgess Sentence Examples

  • By a statute of 1535 Brecon was made the county town of the new shire of Brecknock, and was granted the right of electing one burgess to represent it in parliament, a right which it retained till it was merged in the county representation in 1885.

  • The council was empowered to elect one burgess to parliament, and this right continued until the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885.

  • The statement caught Burgess's attention.

  • The statement didn't reduce Burgess's concern an iota.

  • He could have been killed but when you switched the light back on, it blinded Burgess.

More sentences

Related articles

Also Mentioned In

Words near burgess in the Dictionary