borough

n. self-governing city; quarter, section

A borough is an administrative division used in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely. In the Middle Ages, boroughs were settlements that were granted some self-government. Boroughs were particularly common in England, Germany, and Scotland. In medieval England, boroughs were also entitled to elect members of parliament. The Borough in Southwark, London is thought to have been the original 'borough' from which all others derive.
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Noun
1. one of the administrative divisions of a large city
(hypernym) administrative district, administrative division, territorial division
(hyponym) Greenwich
2. an English town that forms the constituency of a member of Parliament
(hypernym) town, townspeople, townsfolk
(hyponym) burgh

(n.)
The pledge or surety thus given.
  

(n.)
The collective body of citizens or inhabitants of a borough; as, the borough voted to lay a tax.
  

(n.)
In England, an incorporated town that is not a city; also, a town that sends members to parliament; in Scotland, a body corporate, consisting of the inhabitants of a certain district, erected by the sovereign, with a certain jurisdiction; in America, an incorporated town or village, as in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
  

(n.)
An association of men who gave pledges or sureties to the king for the good behavior of each other.
  

Originally meaning a fortified town in England, the name came to indicate a town with a corporation of citizens and privileges conferred by Royal Charter. The markets and faires of the borough grew in importance during the Middle Ages, and gradually the boroughs elected their own members of Parliament .