burgh

American  

[burg, buhr-oh, buhr-uh] / bɜrg, ˈbʌr oʊ, ˈbʌr ə /

noun

1. (in Scotland) an incorporated town having its own charter and some degree of political independence from the surrounding area.

2. Archaic. borough.

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burgh British  

/ ˈbɜːɡəl, ˈbʌrə /

noun

1. (in Scotland) a town, esp one incorporated by charter, that enjoyed a degree of self-government until the local-government reorganization of 1975

2. an archaic form of borough

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Other Word Forms

• burghal adjective

Etymology

Origin of burgh

1350–1400; late Middle English (Scots); borough; broch

Example Sentences

Soon even the humblest burgh in the hinterland could lay claim to a flourishing pizzeria.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Leith Theatre has had an extraordinary history since it was first gifted to the people of the burgh of Leith, as they officially became part of the city of Edinburgh.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2022

"Some of the remains date back to when Edinburgh became a royal burgh at the start of the 12th century, when St. Giles' was first constructed."

From Fox News • Jan. 14, 2020

As someone who — from his earliest memories — felt like an outsider in every tiny burgh that dotted his landscape, this brand of rootlessness was all I’d ever known.

From Salon • Aug. 9, 2019

The public buildings include the burgh hall, municipal buildings, Hermitage schools and two hospitals.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2 "Hearing" to "Helmond" by Various