burgh
Americannoun
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(in Scotland) an incorporated town having its own charter and some degree of political independence from the surrounding area.
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Archaic. borough.
noun
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(in Scotland) a town, esp one incorporated by charter, that enjoyed a degree of self-government until the local-government reorganization of 1975
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an archaic form of borough
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of burgh
1350–1400; late Middle English (Scots); see borough; cf. broch
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.
Soon even the humblest burgh in the hinterland could lay claim to a flourishing pizzeria.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
In Scotland, common good funds go back to the 15th Century and involve land, investments and property that exist under law for the benefit of burgh residents.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2025
"Some of the remains date back to when Edinburgh became a royal burgh at the start of the 12th century, when St. Giles' was first constructed."
From Fox News ● Jan. 14, 2020
As someone who — from his earliest memories — felt like an outsider in every tiny burgh that dotted his landscape, this brand of rootlessness was all I’d ever known.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2019
The contrast between Calcutta, the gorgeous city of palaces, and Montrose, the dour, wintry burgh among the sandhills by the northern sea, must have chilled the heart of the passionate child.
From Lola Montez An Adventuress of the 'Forties by Edmund B. d'Auvergne
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.
