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• burgess
  burgess

  noun

  a representative in the popular branch of the colonial legislature of Virginia or Maryland.
• Burgess
  Burgess

  noun

  Anthony, 1917–93, English novelist and critic.

burgess

¹ American  

[bur-jis] / ˈbɜr dʒɪs /

noun

1. American History. a representative in the popular branch of the colonial legislature of Virginia or Maryland.

2. (formerly) a representative of a borough in the British Parliament.

3. Rare. an inhabitant of an English borough.

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Burgess ² American  

[bur-jis] / ˈbɜr dʒɪs /

noun

1. Anthony, 1917–93, English novelist and critic.

2. (Frank) Gelett 1866–1951, U.S. illustrator and humorist.

3. Thornton Waldo, 1874–1965, U.S. author, especially of children's books.

4. a male given name.

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burgess ¹ British  

/ ˈbɜːdʒɪs /

noun

1. 1. a citizen or freeman of a borough

   2. any inhabitant of a borough

2. English history a Member of Parliament from a borough, corporate town, or university

3. a member of the colonial assembly of Maryland or Virginia

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Burgess ² British  

/ ˈbɜːdʒɪs /

noun

1. Anthony , real name John Burgess Wilson . 1917–93, English novelist and critic: his novels include A Clockwork Orange (1962), Tremor of Intent (1966), Earthly Powers (1980), and Any Old Iron (1989)

2. Guy . 1911–63, British spy, who fled to the Soviet Union (with Donald Maclean) in 1951

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Etymology

Origin of burgess

1175–1225; Middle English burgeis < Anglo-French, Old French, equivalent to burg city (< Germanic ) + -eis < Latin -ēnsis -ensis; cf. -ese

Explanation

Historically, a burgess was an important citizen. A free, male inhabitant of a medieval English borough was known as a burgess. A burgess was originally a fairly ordinary citizen, and the word shares a root with the French bourgeois, "member of the middle class." In England, it came to mean an elected official, or someone who represents a borough in the House of Commons. The American Colonies of Virginia and Maryland adopted a similar use of burgess, establishing a House of Burgess where elected representatives governed alongside a British-appointed governor.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

burgess Burgess

Bagpipes welcomed the Eisenhowers to Maybole, where the General was made a freeman and burgess.

From Time Magazine Archive

Since the conquerors felt they must stick together, it was possible for an ambitious young Norman lad, though only the son of a Cheapside burgess, to get a helping hand from Norman nobles.

From Time Magazine Archive

Some seven years ago it befell that a rich burgess of Abbeville departed from the town, together with his wife, his only son, and all his wealth, his goods and plenishing.

From Aucassin & Nicolette And Other Mediaeval Romances and Legends by Eugene Mason

His father, Patricius, was a burgess of this town, and was still a pagan at the time of his son’s birth.

From The Inhabitants of the Philippines by Frederic H. Sawyer

In 1551 he was admitted burgess of Geneva, and in 1553 made pastor of a country church in the neighbourhood.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 4 "G" to "Gaskell, Elizabeth" by Various

The increasing frequency of marine heatwaves is already "putting increasing pressure on marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them", Burgess said.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

"This record is another clear signal of an ocean under growing stress," said Dr Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Australia's spy chief Mike Burgess singled out Russia last year as an "aggressive espionage threat" to the country.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

Alaska is joining a list of famed comedic actors who have played Mary Todd Lincoln, including Maya Rudolph, Meg Stalter, Tituss Burgess and Jane Krakowski.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

Padva notes and mentions in a whisper to the Burgess sisters even before the more impressive feats of agility begin.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• inhabitant
• national
• resident
• taxpayer