borough-English

[ bur-oh-ing-glish or, often, -lish, buhr- ]

noun
  1. (formerly, in some parts of England) a custom by which the youngest son inherited the entire estate upon the death of his father.

Origin of borough-English

1
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50

Words Nearby borough-English

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use borough-English in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for borough-English

borough-English

noun
  1. English law (until 1925) a custom in certain English boroughs whereby the youngest son inherited land to the exclusion of his older brothers: Compare primogeniture, gavelkind

Origin of borough-English

1
C14: from Anglo-French tenure en burgh Engloys tenure in an English borough; so called because the custom was unknown in France

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012