Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “burgess” come from?

Burgess comes from Anglo-Norman burgeis, a term for a town dweller or citizen with rights in a borough or fortified settlement.

burgess (English): An inhabitant of a borough with full rights; a...

Definitions

  1. An inhabitant of a borough with full rights; a...

Ancestry of “burgess”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishburgeis—
2Old Frenchborgeistown dweller
3Old French-eisused to form nationalities; used to form names of...
4Vulgar Latin-iscus-ish
5Latin-ensisOf or from
6Latinarvumfield; farm land
7Latincolō—
8Latinquelō—
9Proto-Italickʷelō—
10Proto-Indo-Europeankʷéleti—
11Proto-Indo-Europeankʷel-to turn

Words derived from “burgess”

  • burgess-ship
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷel- →