Būr'gees, n.
n. [Fr. bourgeois, from bourg, borough; Sp. burges, It. borghese. See BOURGEOIS.]
Sense 1. An inhabitant of a borough or walled town, or one who possesses a tenement therein; a citizen or freeman of a borough. Blackstone.
“A burgess of a borough corresponds with a citizen of a city.” Burrill.
Sense 2. A representative of a borough or town in parliament. Blackstone.
Sense 3. A magistrate of a borough.
Before the Revolution, the representatives in the popular branch of the legislature of Virginia were called burgesses; as, the House of Burgesses. It is now called the House of Delegates.