burgh

American  

[burg, buhr-oh, buhr-uh] / bɜrg, ˈbʌr oʊ, ˈbʌr ə /

noun

1. (in Scotland) an incorporated town having its own charter and some degree of political independence from the surrounding area.

2. Archaic. borough.

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burgh British  

/ ˈbɜːɡəl, ˈbʌrə /

noun

1. (in Scotland) a town, esp one incorporated by charter, that enjoyed a degree of self-government until the local-government reorganization of 1975

2. an archaic form of borough

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Other Word Forms

• burghal adjective

Etymology

Origin of burgh

1350–1400; late Middle English (Scots); borough; broch

Example Sentences

Soon even the humblest burgh in the hinterland could lay claim to a flourishing pizzeria.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

He said Armstrong definitely had a special aura about him as he accepted his honour as freeman of the burgh.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2022

"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

This place was a royal burgh, with a palace; and the word civitas was not then confined to towns which were Bishop's sees.

From Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 107, November 15, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by Various