noun
burgess
BURD-zhihs
noun
1
Historically, a full citizen of a borough, or an elected representative of a borough in government.
"He served as a burgess in the colonial House of Burgesses."
How to Use Burgess
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA historical term for a citizen or elected representative of a town, still remembered from colonial American government.
Word Forms
burgesses plural
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He served as a _____ in the colonial House of Burgesses.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman burgeis, related to "borough" and "bourgeois", ultimately from a Germanic word for a fortified town.