royal burgh

English

WOTD – 30 November 2022

Etymology

A panoramic view of St. Andrews, in Fife, Scotland, U.K. The town became a royal burgh in 1620, when it was granted a charter by King James VI of Scotland (James I of England).

From royal +‎ burgh.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˌɹɔɪəl ˈbʌɹə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɹɔɪ(ə)l ˈbɝoʊ/, (nonstandard) /-ˈbɝɡ/
• Rhymes: -ʌɹə, -ɜː(ɹ)ɡ
• Hyphenation: roy‧al burgh

Noun

royal burgh (plural royal burghs)

1. (Scotland, historical) A type of Scottish burgh founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter; these were legally abolished in 1975.

   Synonyms: (obsolete) burgh royal, (obsolete) royal borough

   Most royal burghs were either created by the Crown, or upgraded from another status, such as a burgh of barony.

Coordinate terms

• burgh of barony
• parliamentary burgh

Related terms

• royal borough (in England)

Translations

type of Scottish burgh founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter

• Finnish: kuninkaallinen burgh
• French: burgh royal
• Japanese: 勅許自治都市 (ちょくきょじちとし, chokukyojichitoshi)
• Scots: ryal burgh
• Spanish: burgo real m
• Ukrainian: королівське мі́сто n (korolivsʹke místo)

Further reading

• royal burgh on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “royal burgh, n.” under “royal, adj. and n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2022.
• “royal burgh, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present, reproduced from Collins English Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged, digital edition, [London]: HarperCollins, 2012.