GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  1.       
    
    Burgess , n. [OE. burgeis, OF. burgeis, fr. burcfortified town, town, F. bourg village, fr. LL. burgus fort, city; from the German; cf. MHG. burc, G. burg. See 1st Borough, and cf. 2d Bourgeois.]
    1. An inhabitant of a borough or walled town, or one who possesses a tenement therein; a citizen or freeman of a borough.
      Blackstone.

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      ☞ “A burgess of a borough corresponds with a citizen of a city.”

      Burrill.

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    2. One who represents a borough in Parliament.
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    3. A magistrate of a borough.
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    4. An inhabitant of a Scotch burgh qualified to vote for municipal officers.
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      ☞ Before the Revolution, the representatives in the popular branch of the legislature of Virginia were called burgesses; they are now called delegates.

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      Burgess oath. See Burgher, 2.

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