borough-English

American

[bur-oh-ing-glish, -lish, buhr-] / ˈbɜr oʊˈɪŋ glɪʃ, -lɪʃ, ˈbʌr- /

noun

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

borough-English British

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of borough-English

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

borough-English

And to complicate matters yet further, for the few who wished to simplify them, the custom of "borough-English" prevailed, and governed the descent of dilapidations, making nice niceties for clever men of law.

From Erema — My Father's Sin by Blackmore, R. D. (Richard Doddridge)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023