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bourg

market town

noun BOOR Rare
Travel & Places Geography

Origin: From Medieval Latin burgus, of Germanic origin, related to English 'borough' and 'burg'.

Usage Note

Bourg denotes a small town, larger than a village (village) but smaller than a town (ville), typically with a market. It is common in place names across France (e.g., Bourg-en-Bresse). The related word bourgeois originally meant an inhabitant of a bourg. The final g is silent.

Examples

"Ils habitent dans un petit bourg."

Natural Translation

They live in a small market town.

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