Etymology

borough

bo·rough
B3O1R1O1U1G2H4

Today it means: A town having a municipal corporation and certain traditional rights. Full definition →

Middle English borwe ← Old English burh ← Proto-West Germanic *burg
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borough · noun1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*burgz“stronghold, city”
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*burg
  3. Old English · inherited fromburh
  4. Middle English · inherited fromborwe
  5. English todayborough

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.

Borough · proper noun2

See borough (also for pronunciation).

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishborwe all →

borrowburgh

Old Englishburh all →

MiddlesbroughburleyburrowburghbroughDewsburybirkAldeburghCanonburyAldboroughBerry Pomeroy-boro-borough-burghburhBurphamBurrough on the HillHemingbroughOnibury

Proto-West Germanic*burg all →

burrowburghburgher

Proto-Germanic*burgz all →

burgessburglarburgburrowburghbrochburgherburgessy

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.