burgess

[ bur-jis ]
See synonyms for burgess on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. American History. a representative in the popular branch of the colonial legislature of Virginia or Maryland.

  2. (formerly) a representative of a borough in the British Parliament.

  1. Rare. an inhabitant of an English borough.

Origin of burgess

1
1175–1225; Middle English burgeis<Anglo-French, Old French, equivalent to burg city (<Germanic ) + -eis<Latin -ēnsis-ensis; cf. -ese

Words Nearby burgess

Other definitions for Burgess (2 of 2)

Burgess
[ bur-jis ]

noun
  1. Anthony, 1917–93, English novelist and critic.

  2. (Frank) Ge·lett [juh-let], /dʒəˈlɛt/, 1866–1951, U.S. illustrator and humorist.

  1. Thornton Waldo, 1874–1965, U.S. author, especially of children's books.

  2. a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use burgess in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for burgess (1 of 2)

burgess

/ (ˈbɜːdʒɪs) /


noun
  1. (in England)

    • a citizen or freeman of a borough

    • any inhabitant of a borough

  2. English history a Member of Parliament from a borough, corporate town, or university

  1. a member of the colonial assembly of Maryland or Virginia

Origin of burgess

1
C13: from Old French burgeis, from borc town, from Late Latin burgus, of Germanic origin; see borough

British Dictionary definitions for Burgess (2 of 2)

Burgess

/ (ˈbɜːdʒɪs) /


noun
  1. Anthony, real name John Burgess Wilson . 1917–93, English novelist and critic: his novels include A Clockwork Orange (1962), Tremor of Intent (1966), Earthly Powers (1980), and Any Old Iron (1989)

  2. Guy . 1911–63, British spy, who fled to the Soviet Union (with Donald Maclean) in 1951

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