Burgemeester

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An elected official responsible for the administration and governance of a municipality
2. a person who represents the local government in public functions
3. an individual tasked with overseeing city services and community affairs

Etymology: "Burgemeester" is Dutch, and it is a compound of "burger" (citizen, townsman) and "meester" (master), so it literally means "master of the citizens" or "citizens' master." The Dutch word has been used for centuries for the chief official of a town or city, a role that in the Low Countries grew out of medieval urban self-government, when towns had their own councils and magistrates. In English, "burgomaster" is the usual form, borrowed from Dutch and German "Burgermeister" in the sense of a municipal head of government in those countries. "Burgemeester" is the modern Dutch spelling, and it is the form used in the Netherlands and Belgium today. The word has never been a common English term, and it appears mainly in writing about Dutch, Flemish, or German local government.

Synonyms: mayor, magistrate