# rotten borough

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌɹɒtn̩ ˈbʌɹə/

## Definitions
1. A parliamentary borough that was represented in Parliament although the number of voters had diminished so greatly that they were largely controlled by the main landowner; such boroughs were abolished in the 19th century.
2. A parliamentary constituency or electoral district in a similar situation.

## Etymology
From rotten (“in a state of decay”) + borough (“type of administrative district”), because such boroughs were regarded as having “decayed” due to their voters moving away to other places.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rotten-borough