borough

[ bur-oh, buhr-oh ]

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.
   1. an urban community incorporated by royal charter, similar to an incorporated city or municipality in the U.S.
   2. a town, area, or constituency represented by a Member of Parliament.
   3. (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.

borough

/ ˈbʌrə /

noun

1. a town, esp (in Britain) one that forms the constituency of an MP or that was originally incorporated by royal charter See also burgh
2. any of the 32 constituent divisions that together with the City of London make up Greater London
3. any of the five constituent divisions of New York City
4. (in the US) a self-governing incorporated municipality
5. (in medieval England) a fortified town or village or a fort
6. (in New Zealand) a small municipality with a governing body

Word History and Origins

Origin of borough¹

before 900; Middle English burw ( e ), borwg ( h ), borogh, bor ( u ) g, bur ( u ) g, burgh town, Old English burg fortified town; cognate with Old Norse borg, Old Saxon, Dutch burg, German Burg castle, Gothic baurgs city; MIr brí, brig, Welsh, Breton bre hill, Avestan bərəz- height; akin to Armenian bardzr, Hittite parkus high. See barrow ².

Word History and Origins

Origin of borough¹

Old English burg ; related to beorgan to shelter, Old Norse borg wall, Gothic baurgs city, Old High German burg fortified castle

Example Sentences

David Pickthall, who was appointed an MBE in 2015 for services to education and charity, worked as a teacher at Brentwood School in Essex and as a choirmaster in the London Borough of Havering when some of his offending happened.

From BBC

Wirral is the first authority in Merseyside to adopt the robots and incorporate them into a formal offer for young people in the borough.

From BBC

Swale Borough Council had been due to decide on Thursday whether 8,400 homes could be built near Sittingbourne, but said the government intervened just hours before the meeting.

From BBC

Donald John Trump was born on 14 June 1946 in the New York borough of Queens.

From BBC

Two of the societies, Lewes Borough Bonfire Society and Cliffe Bonfire Society, date back to 1853 – but the celebrations are said to have been going on for many years before that.

From BBC

Related Words

• district
• precinct