Word Origin & History
burglar
1541, shortened from M.E. burgulator, from Anglo-L. burglator (1268), from O.Fr. burgeor "burglar," from M.L. burgator "burglar," from burgare "to break open, commit burglary," from L. burgus "fortress, castle," a Gmc. loan-word akin to borough. The intrusive -l- is perhaps from infl. of L. latro "thief," originally "hired servant." The native word was burgh-breche. The verb burglarize is from 1871. Burgle (1872) is a hideous back-formation.