Borough

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -əʊ
• UK IPA: /ˈbʌɹə/
• US IPA: /ˈbʌɹoÊŠ/, /ˈbɜɹoÊŠ/

Alternative forms

• boro

Origin

From Old English burh, from Proto-Germanic *burgz ("stronghold, city"). Cognate with Dutch burg, German Burg, Swedish borg, French bourg, Persian bur.

Full definition of borough

Noun

1. (obsolete) A fortified town.
2. (rare) A town or city.
3. A town having a municipal corporation and certain traditional rights.
4. An administrative district in some cities, e.g., London.
• 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter 7, The highway to the East Coast which ran through the borough of Ebbfield had always been a main road and even now, despite the vast garages, the pylons and the gaily painted factory glasshouses which had sprung up beside it, there still remained an occasional trace of past cultures.
5. An administrative unit of a city which, under most circumstances according to state or national law, would be considered a larger or more powerful entity; most commonly used in American English to define the five counties that make up New York City.
6. Other similar administrative units in cities and states in various parts of the world.
7. A district in Alaska having powers similar to a county.
8. (historical, British, legal) An association of men who gave pledges or sureties to the king for the good behaviour of each other.
9. (historical, British, legal) The pledge or surety thus given.

Derived terms

• boroughhood
• -borough
• municipal borough
• parliamentary borough

Related terms

• burgh
• -bury