burgess

[ bur-jis ]
/ ˈbɜr dʒɪs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR burgess ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

American History. a representative in the popular branch of the colonial legislature of Virginia or Maryland.
(formerly) a representative of a borough in the British Parliament.
Rare. an inhabitant of an English borough.

Origin of burgess

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

Words nearby burgess

burgas, burgee, burgenland, burgeon, burger, burgess, burgess shale, burgh, burgher, burghley, burghley house

Definition for burgess (2 of 2)

Burgess
[ bur-jis ]
/ ˈbɜr dʒɪs /

noun

Anthony,1917–93, English novelist and critic.
(Frank) Ge·lett [juh-let] /dʒəˈlɛt/,1866–1951, U.S. illustrator and humorist.
Thornton Waldo,1874–1965, U.S. author, especially of children's books.
a male given name.

Words related to burgess

voter, civilian, resident, national, settler, inhabitant, taxpayer, villager, dweller, commoner, aborigine, denizen, subject, householder, occupant, native, cosmopolite, burgher, townsperson, urbanite

Example sentences from the Web for burgess

British Dictionary definitions for burgess (1 of 2)

burgess
/ (ˈbɜːdʒɪs) /

noun

(in England)
  1. a citizen or freeman of a borough
  2. any inhabitant of a borough
English history a Member of Parliament from a borough, corporate town, or university
a member of the colonial assembly of Maryland or Virginia

Word Origin for burgess

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

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