Bürgerschaft

German

Etymology

From Middle High German bürgerschaft, equivalent to Bürger (“citizen”) +‎ -schaft (“-ship, -ry”). The sense “municipal parliament” after Middle Low German börgerschop (“municipal council”). Compare also Dutch burgerschap.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Bürgerschaft f (genitive Bürgerschaft, plural Bürgerschaften)

1. citizenry (the entirety of all citizens)
2. the municipal parliament of one of a number of northern German cities, including Hamburg and Bremen, where these parliaments also serve as state parliaments (in the case of Bremen including additional delegates from Bremerhaven for this latter purpose)

Coordinate terms

• (parliament): Landtag; Stadtrat (depending on context)

Further reading

• “Bürgerschaft” in Duden online