burgess
1 Americannoun
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American History. a representative in the popular branch of the colonial legislature of Virginia or Maryland.
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(formerly) a representative of a borough in the British Parliament.
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Rare. an inhabitant of an English borough.
noun
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Anthony, 1917–93, English novelist and critic.
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(Frank) Gelett 1866–1951, U.S. illustrator and humorist.
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Thornton Waldo, 1874–1965, U.S. author, especially of children's books.
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a male given name.
noun
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a citizen or freeman of a borough
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any inhabitant of a borough
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English history a Member of Parliament from a borough, corporate town, or university
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a member of the colonial assembly of Maryland or Virginia
noun
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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)
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Guy . 1911–63, British spy, who fled to the Soviet Union (with Donald Maclean) in 1951
Etymology
Origin of burgess
1175–1225; Middle English burgeis < Anglo-French, Old French, equivalent to burg city (< Germanic ) + -eis < Latin -ēnsis -ensis; -ese
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.
In 2009, a different set of Litchfield burgesses banned ribbons from the town green trees, citing the potential for a proliferation of free speech displays as well as possible tree damage.
From Seattle Times
Twenty-two burgesses gathered in the church at Jamestown Island, and two were kicked out immediately because they were from a plantation that had not acknowledged colonial authority.
From Washington Post
On Tuesday, lawmakers, members of Congress and other guests will gather at historic Jamestown for ceremonies to commemorate the meeting of the burgesses.
From Seattle Times
The state has been planning the Jamestown events for several years to mark the first time 20 burgesses chosen by colonists gathered on July 30, 1619.
From Washington Post
In 1748, the Virginia burgesses passed a law mandating the death penalty for any enslaved person who poisoned his or her master.
From Washington Post
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.
