rotten borough

rotten borough ExamplesWord Origin noun

1. (before the Reform Bill of 1832) any English borough that had very few voters yet was represented in Parliament.
2. an election district that has more representatives in a legislative body than the number of its constituents would normally call for.

Origin of rotten borough First recorded in 1805–15 Examples from the Web for rotten borough Historical Examples of rotten borough

Here I came up with my sons, and we entered the rotten-borough together.

Rural Rides

William Cobbett

British Dictionary definitions for rotten borough rotten borough noun

1. (before the Reform Act of 1832) any of certain English parliamentary constituencies with only a very few electorsCompare pocket borough