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borough

 - 4 dictionary results

bor⋅ough

  [bur-oh, buhr-oh]
Use borough in a Sentence
–noun
1. (in certain states of the U.S.) an incorporated municipality smaller than a city.
2. one of the five administrative divisions of New York City.
3. British.
a. an urban community incorporated by royal charter, similar to an incorporated city or municipality in the U.S.
b. a town, area, or constituency represented by a Member of Parliament.
c. (formerly) a fortified town organized as and having some of the powers of an independent country.
4. (in Alaska) an administrative division similar to a county in other states.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME burw(e), borwg(h), borogh, bor(u)g, bur(u)g, burgh town, OE burg fortified town; c. ON borg, OS, D burg, G Burg castle, Goth baurgs city; MIr brí, brig, Welsh, Breton bre hill, Avestan bərəz- height; akin to Armenian bardzr, Hittite parkus high. See barrow 2 .
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bor·ough   (bûr'ō, bŭr'ō)   
n.  

  1. A self-governing incorporated town in some U.S. states, such as New Jersey.

  2. One of the five administrative units of New York City.

  3. A civil division of the state of Alaska that is the equivalent of a county in most other U.S. states.

  4. Chiefly British

    1. A town having a municipal corporation and certain rights, such as self-government.

    2. A town that sends a representative to Parliament.

  5. A medieval group of fortified houses that formed a town having special privileges and rights.


[Middle English burgh, city, from Old English burg, fortified town; see bhergh-2 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

borough 
O.E. burg, burh "castle, manor house, fortified place" (related to beorg "hill"), from P.Gmc. *burgs "fortress" (cf. O.N. borg "wall, castle," Ger. Burg "castle," Goth. baurgs "city"), from PIE *bhrgh "high," with derivatives referring to hills, hill forts, fortified elevations (cf. Welsh bera "stack, pyramid," Skt. bhrant-, Avestan brzant- "high," Gk. Pergamos, name of the citadel of Troy). In Ger. and O.N., chiefly as "fortress, castle;" in Goth. "town, civic community." Meaning shifted M.E. from "fortress," to "fortified town," to simply "town" (especially one possessing municipal organization or sending representatives to Parliament). In U.S. (originally Pennsylvania, 1718) often an incorporated town; in Alaska, however, it is the equivalent of a county. The Scot. form is burgh. The O.E. dative singular byrig is found in many place names as -bury.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

borough

in Great Britain, incorporated town with special privileges or a district entitled to elect a member of Parliament.

Learn more about borough with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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