burgher
Pluralburghers
- 1A well-off, comfortable person from the middle class, sometimes seen as smug or self-satisfied.
Like a person who is happy with their cozy life and does not want anything to change.
Every burgher in town wanted a bigger house than the neighbors.
The comfortable burghers paid their taxes and never asked who really ran the city.
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- 2A person living in a medieval town who had the rights of a full citizen.
Like being an official member of a club who is allowed to vote and use everything the club offers.
Each burgher could vote in the town council and trade freely at the market.
The burghers built a strong wall to protect their city from raiders.
Similarcitizen, burgess, freeman, townsman
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- 3A trader or merchant who belonged to the rising business class of medieval towns.
Like a successful shop owner or businessperson, but living hundreds of years ago.
The burgher sold cloth and spices brought in from distant ports.
Many burghers grew rich by lending money to nobles and kings.
Similarmerchant, trader, tradesman
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Practice
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Origin
From Middle English, made from 'burgh' (a fortified town) plus '-er' meaning 'inhabitant of'. It was likely reinforced by similar Dutch and German words meaning 'town citizen'.