borough-English

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

noun

(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

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. 2023

How to use borough-English in a sentence

The original of this claim, as of our tenure of Borough English, is variously delivered.
A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland | Samuel Johnson
Borough English was the native custom which had succeeded in holding its ground against the effects of the Norman Conquest.
The Customs of Old England | F. J. Snell
The area over which this Borough English tenure prevails is an exceedingly wide one.
Legal Lore | Various
From this nefarious degradation of woman the custom of borough-English arose, the youngest son becoming the heir.
Woman, Church & State | Matilda Joslyn Gage
The origin of the custom of Borough English has been much disputed.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 3 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for borough-English

borough-English

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

Origin of borough-English

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

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