Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

BURH

  • noun [ feminine ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
BURH, burg; gen. burge; dat. byrig, byrg; acc.burh, burg; pl. nom. acc. burga; gen. burga; dat. burgum; f. [beorh, beorg =
Similar entries
burh
,
Similar entries
burg
the impert. of
Similar entries
beorgan
to defend
].
Wright's OE grammar
§111; §220; §262; §278; §323; §411; §562;
the original signification was arx, castellum, mons, a castle for defence. It might consist of a castle alone; but as people lived together for defence and support, hence a fortified place, fortress, castle, palace, walled town, dwelling surrounded by a wall or rampart of earth; arx, castellum, mons, palatium, urbs munita, domus circumvallata
Show examples

  • Se Abbot Kenulf macode fyrst ða wealle abútan ðone mynstre, [and] geaf hit ðá to nama Burh [Burch MS.], ðe ǽr hét Medeshámstede

    the Abbot Kenulf first made the wall about the minster, and gave it then the name Burh =

    Similar entries
    Burg
    [Petres burh
    Peter's burg = Peterborough
    ] , which before was called Meadow-home-stead,

    • Chr. 963
      • ;
    • Erl. 123, 27-34
      • ;
    • Th. 221, 34-39.
      • .
    The style of the Anglo-Saxon indicates a late date, perhaps about 1100 or 1200.

  • Burg

    arx,

    • Cot. 10.

  • Stíþlíc stán-torr and seó steápe burh on Sennar stód

    the rugged stone-tower and the high fortress stood on Shinar,

    • Cd. 82
      • ;
    • Th. 102, 15
      • ;
    • Gen. 1700.

  • Óþ ðæt hie on Sodoman weall-steápe burg wlítan meahton

    till they on Sodom's lofty-walled fortress might look,

    • 109
      • ;
    • Th. 145, 7
      • ;
    • Gen. 2402
      • .

  • Ðǽr se hálga heáh, steáp reced, burh timbrede

    there the holy man built a high, steep dwelling, a walled town,

    • 137
      • ;
    • Th. 172, 6
      • ;
    • Gen. 2840
      • .

  • Burge weall

    the wall of a city;

    murus

    ,
    • Ps. Th. 17, 28.

  • Ðæt hie geseón mihten ðære wlitegan byrig weallas

    that they might see the walls of the beautiful city,

    • Judth. 11
      • ;
    • Thw. 23, 24
      • ;
    • Jud. 137
      • :
    • Ps. Th. 44, 13: 47, 11
      • .

  • On leófre byrig and háligre

    in montem sanctificationis suæ,

    • 77, 54: 77, 67
      • .

  • Ðá férdon híg þurh ða burhga

    egressi circuibant per castella.

    • Lk. Bos. 9, 6
      • .

  • Eádweard cyng fór mid fierde to Bedan forda, and beget ða burg

    king Edward went with an army to Bedford, and gained the walled town,

    • Chr.919
      • ;
    • Th. 192, 24, col. l
      • .

  • Ge binnan burgum, ge búton burgum

    both within walled towns, and without walled towns,

    • L. Edg. S. 3
      • ;
    • Th. i. 274, 7
      • .

  • Ðone æðeling on ðære byrig métton, ðǽr se cyning ofslægen læg

    they found the ætheling in the inclosure of the dwelling, where the king lay slain,

    • Chr. 755
      • ;
    • Th. 84, 19, col. 1
      • :
    • L. Edm. S. 2
      • ;
    • Th. i. 248, 16
      • :
    • L. Eth. iii. 6
      • ;
    • Th. i. 296, 5
      • .
a fortress or castle being necessary for the protection of those dwelling together in cities or towns, — a city, town, burgh, borough; urbs, civitas, oppidum
Show examples

  • Róma burh

    the city Rome,

    • Bd. 1. 11
      • ;
    • S. 480, 10, 12
      • .

  • Ða ðe in burh móton gongan, in Godes ríce

    they may go into the city, [may go] into God's kingdom,

    • Cd. 227
      • ;
    • Th. 303, 16
      • ;
    • Sat. 613
      • .

  • Ðonne hý hweorfaþ in ða hálgan burg

    when they pass into the holy city,

    • Exon. 44b
      • ;
    • Th. 150, 26
      • ;
    • Gú. 784
      • .

  • Ðæt he gesáwe ða burh

    ut videret civitatem,

    • Gen. 11, 5
      • .

  • Ða burh ne bærndon

    they burnt not the city,

    • Ors. 2, 8
      • ;
    • Bos. 52, 8
      • .

  • Burge weard

    the guardian of the city,

    • Cd. 180
      • ;
    • Th. 226, 19
      • ;
    • Dan. 173
      • :
    • Ps. Th. 9, 13
      • .

  • Ðonne hí eów éhtaþ on ðysse byrig

    cum persequentur vos in civitate ista,

    • Mt. Bos. 10, 23
      • :
    • Exon. 15b
      • ;
    • Th. 34, 14
      • ;
    • Cri. 542.

  • Binnan ðære byrig

    within the city,

    • Ors. 2, 8
      • ;
    • Bos. 52, 4.

  • Beóþ byrig mid Iudéum getimbrade

    ædificabuntur civitates Judæ,

    • Ps. Th. 68, 36.

  • Byrig fægriaþ

    towns appear fair,

    • Exon. 82a
      • ;
    • Th. 308, 32
      • ;
    • Seef. 48.

  • Ðá ongan he hyspan ða burga

    tunc cæpit exprobrare civitatibus,

    • Mt. Bos. 11, 20.

  • On burgum

    in the towns,

    • Beo. Th. 105
      • ;
    • B. 53.
Etymology
[
Piers P. Chauc. burghe
:
R. Brun. burgh
:
R.Glouc. borȝ
:
Laym. burh
:
Orm. burrh
:
Plat. borch, f
:
O. Sax. burg, f. urbs, civitas
:
Frs. borge, m. f
:
O. Frs. burch, burich, f
:
Dut. burgt, f
:
Kil. borg, borght
:
Ger. burg, f. arx, castellum
:
M. H. Ger. burc, f
:
O. H. Ger. buruc, burg, f. urbs, civitas
:
Goth. baurgs, f
:
Dan. borg, m. f
:
Swed. borg, m
:
O. Nrs. borg, f.
]
Derived forms
ealdor-burh, [-burg], fóre-, freó-, freoðo-, gold-, heáfod-, heáh-, [heá-], hleó-, hord-, in-, leód-, mǽg-, medo-, meodu-, rand-, rond-, sceld-, scild-, scyld-, stán-, under-, weder-, wín-, wyn-
Linked entries
v.  burcg burg burga BURH burhg burh-staðol burug buruh buruh-þelu byrig byri-weard.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “BURH.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/5434.

Checked: 2
Full form

Word-wheel

  • BURH, n.

Copyright

All the data provided here are free for any purpose. If you use the data for academic purposes, we ask that you kindly cite us as your source. In case you need a large portion of the dictionary data or you need it in a specific format, let us know through the contact form, we are happy to do custom database dumps for researchers.

How to cite

You can cite the entries of the online version of the dictionary, or you can cite the scanned pages of the original paper editions.

  • To cite the online version of the dictionary, click the icon right under the entry.
  • To cite the scanned paper version of the dictionary, click the "show/hide this scanned page" link under the entry, check the scan and use the citation information right above it.