noun
burgher
BUR-ger/ˈbɜːrɡər/
A citizen of a town, especially a prosperous middle-class resident.
The prosperous burgher greets his neighbors outside his town house.
Etymology
An ‘inhabitant of a fortress’ became a citizen of a town. The earlier English sense ‘freeman of a burgh’ helps explain the word’s association with an established, respectable member of the civic community.
More examples
- Several wealthy burghers paid for the town's new clock.
- As a burgher, the merchant takes pride in local affairs.
- The portrait shows a burgher dressed in his finest clothes.
Forms
burgher · burghers
Similar words
- townsman
- Identifies a male town resident without suggesting prosperity or standing.
- citizen
- Emphasizes civic membership rather than prosperity or middle-class standing.