rotten boroughs

A form of rotten borough — A parliamentary borough that was represented in Parliament although the number of voters had diminished so greatly that they were largely controlled by the main landowner; such boroughs were abolished in the 19th century.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of rotten borough
Cite this entry
APA

rotten boroughs. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rotten%20boroughs

MLA

“rotten boroughs.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rotten%20boroughs. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rotten boroughs,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rotten%20boroughs.

Source: rotten boroughs on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.