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
In 1066 and later it was a royal garrison and burgh.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various
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.
