What does rotten borough mean?

Definitions for rotten borough
rot·ten bor·ough

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word rotten borough.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. rotten boroughnoun

    an English parliamentary constituency with few electors

Wiktionary

  1. rotten boroughnoun

    A borough that was represented in Parliament although it had very few voters.

Wikipedia

  1. rotten borough

    A rotten or pocket borough, also known as a nomination borough or proprietorial borough, was a parliamentary borough or constituency in England, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom before the Reform Act 1832, which had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain unrepresentative influence within the unreformed House of Commons. The same terms were used for similar boroughs represented in the 18th-century Parliament of Ireland. The Reform Act 1832 abolished the majority of these rotten and pocket boroughs.

ChatGPT

  1. rotten borough

    A rotten borough, also known as a pocket borough, is a term that was used in 18th and 19th century England to describe a parliamentary constituency with very few eligible voters that could be easily manipulated or controlled by a patron. The 'rotten' connotation implies corruption and decay, as such boroughs were often controlled by wealthy individuals who could essentially buy seats in Parliament. The practice ended following the Reform Act of 1832.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of rotten borough in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of rotten borough in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

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"rotten borough." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/rotten+borough>.

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