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borough-English

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

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.

borough-English British  

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

"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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.