borough
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borough¹
- /ˈbʌ.ɹə/ UK, Scotland
- /ˈbʌɹ.oʊ/ US
- /ˈbɝ.oʊ/
Sounds like burgh (Received Pronunciation, Scotland), burrow (General American, Canada) · Rhymes with -ʌɹə, -ʌɹəʊ
Where it comes from
From Middle English borwe, borgh, burgh, buruh, from Old English burh, burg, from Proto-West Germanic *burg, from Proto-Germanic *burgz (“stronghold, city”).
Cognate with Dutch burcht, German Burg, Danish borg, Swedish borg, French bourg, Turkish burç. Doublet of Brough, burgh, and Bury.
noun boroughs · boro · bourg · burough · burrow
- A town having a municipal corporation and certain traditional rights.
- An administrative district in some cities, e.g., London. 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.
- 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.
- Other similar administrative units in cities and states in various parts of the world.
- A district in Alaska having powers similar to a county.
- An association of men who gave pledges or sureties to the king for the good behavior of each other.
- A fortified town.
- A town or city.
Borough²
Where it comes from
See borough (also for pronunciation).
proper noun The Borough
- The area, properly called Southwark, just south of London Bridge, which is at the north end of Borough High Street (OS grid ref TQ3279).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: precinct, town, municipality, district, village, commune, arrondissement, ward, neighbourhood, neighborhood, joint, common, subdivision, rounding, quarter, municipio
Translations
Talk about this word "borough." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/borough. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. borough. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/borough "borough." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/borough.Cite this
@misc{borough_2026,
title = {borough},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/borough},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
