borough

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A self-governing incorporated town in some U.S. states, such as New Jersey.
2. n. One of the five administrative units of New York City.
3. n. A civil division of the state of Alaska that is the equivalent of a county in most other U.S. states.
4. n. Chiefly British A town having a municipal corporation and certain rights, such as self-government.
5. n. Chiefly British A town that sends a representative to Parliament.
6. n. A medieval group of fortified houses that formed a town having special privileges and rights.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Formerly, a fortified town, or a town possessing municipal organization; also, a town or city in general.
2. n. In England: A corporate town possessing a regularly organized municipal government and special privileges conferred by royal charter: usually called a municipal borough.
3. n. A town having the right to send one or more representatives to Parliament: usually called a parliamentary borough. Under the general laws regulating municipal government, with some exceptions, the burgesses of each borough elect a certain number of councilors every three years, and these elect the mayor annually and half the aldermen (who serve six years) trienuially. Mayor, aldermen, and councilors form the council. The corresponding term in Scotland is burgh.
4. n. In Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, an incorporated municipality less populous than a city and differently governed: in general, corresponding to town in other States. In Minnesota and Pennsylvania its boundaries are identical with those of one of the primary divisions of the county; in Connecticut and New Jersey they include only the space occupied by houses adjoining or nearly adjoining.
5. n. A shelter or place of security.
6. n. At Richmond in Yorkshire, England, and perhaps other northern old corporate towns, a property held by burgage, and formerly qualifying for a vote for members of Parliament.
7. n. An obsolete form of burrow.
8. n. An obsolete form of borrow.

Wiktionary

1. n. obsolete A fortified town
2. n. rare A town or city.
3. n. A town having a municipal corporation and certain traditional rights.
4. n. An administrative district in some cities, e.g., London.
5. n. 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; most commonly used in American English to define the five counties that make up New York City.
6. n. Other similar administrative units in cities and states in various parts of the world.
7. n. A district in Alaska having powers similar to a county.
8. n. historical, UK, law An association of men who gave pledges or sureties to the king for the good behaviour of each other.
9. n. historical, UK, law The pledge or surety thus given.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. In England, an incorporated town that is not a city; also, a town that sends members to parliament; in Scotland, a body corporate, consisting of the inhabitants of a certain district, erected by the sovereign, with a certain jurisdiction; in America, an incorporated town or village, as in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
2. n. The collective body of citizens or inhabitants of a borough.
3. n. An association of men who gave pledges or sureties to the king for the good behavior of each other.
4. n. The pledge or surety thus given.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. an English town that forms the constituency of a member of parliament
2. n. one of the administrative divisions of a large city