burgomaster

American  

[bur-guh-mas-ter, -mah-ster] / ˈbɜr gəˌmæs tər, -ˌmɑ stər /

noun

1. the chief magistrate of a municipal town of Holland, Flanders, Germany, or Austria.

---

burgomaster British  

/ ˈbɜːɡəˌmɑːstə /

noun

1. the chief magistrate of a town in Austria, Belgium, Germany, or the Netherlands; mayor

2. a popular name for the glaucous gull

---

Other Word Forms

• burgomastership noun

Etymology

Origin of burgomaster

1585–95; < Dutch burgemeester, equivalent to burg borough + meester master, cognate with German Bürgermeister major

Example Sentences

Mr. Watts, by contrast, is wearing a three-piece suit with a six-button vest in what appears to be stolid burgomaster’s loden.

From New York Times

Mr. Lavaux is the village’s burgomaster, a position equivalent to mayor or chief magistrate.

From New York Times

"I almost wish that we had given the burgomaster our parole," remarked Felgate dolefully.

From Project Gutenberg

I recognized then, by the faint glimmer from a little garret window, the wrinkled face of the burgomaster's widow.

From Project Gutenberg

The magistrates invite the orchestra, and the burgomasters the singers.

From Project Gutenberg