rotten borough
|
noun
(before the Reform Bill of 1832) any English borough that had very few voters yet was represented in Parliament.
an election district that has more representatives in a legislative body than the number of its constituents would normally call for.
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Nearby words
Origin of rotten borough
First recorded in 1805–15
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for rotten borough
Here I came up with my sons, and we entered the rotten-borough together.
Rural Rides|William Cobbett
British Dictionary definitions for rotten borough
rotten borough
noun
(before the Reform Act of 1832) any of certain English parliamentary constituencies with only a very few electorsCompare pocket borough
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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