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burgesses

 - 4 dictionary results

bur⋅gess

  [bur-jis]
Use burgesses in a Sentence
–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.
3. Rare. an inhabitant of an English borough.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME burgeis < AF, OF, equiv. to burg city (< Gmc) + -eis < L -ēnsis -ensis; cf. -ese

Bur⋅gess

  [bur-jis]
–noun
1. Anthony, 1917–93, English novelist and critic.
2. (Frank) Ge⋅lett  [juh-let] , 1866–1951, U.S. illustrator and humorist.
3. Thornton Waldo, 1874–1965, U.S. author, esp. of children's books.
4. a male given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To burgesses
bur·gess   (bûr'jĭs)   
n.  

  1. A freeman or citizen of an English borough.

  2. A member of the English Parliament who once represented a town, borough, or university.

  3. A member of the lower house of the legislature of colonial Virginia or Maryland.


[Middle English burgeis, from Old French, from Late Latin burgēnsis, from burgus, 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

burgess 
c.1225, burgeis "citizen of a borough," from O.Fr. burgeis, L.L. burgensis (see bourgeois). Applied from 1472 to borough representatives in Parliament and in Va. and other colonies used to denote members of the legislative body, while in Pa., etc., it meant "member of the governing council of a borough."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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