burke
[burk]
- to murder, as by suffocation, so as to leave no or few marks of violence.
- to suppress or get rid of by some indirect maneuver.
Show More
Origin of burke
after W. Burke, hanged in 1829 in Edinburgh for murders of this kind
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for burking
Historical Examples
But there is an Ulster difficulty, and no amount of burking it will solve it.
The Insurrection in DublinJames Stephens
Two especially; that is to say, the practice of Burking, and bad surgery.
The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, Vol. 4 (of 4)Thomas Babington Macaulay
The burking of her own letters, sent with unfailing regularity until outraged pride bade her cease, was equally clear.
The MessageLouis Tracy
Having wrought so assiduously for anatomy, he ended by burking phrenology.
The Court of CacusAlexander Leighton
If a child were lost, the paragraph announcing the fact was headed, “Another supposed case of Burking.”
The Diary of a Resurrectionist, 1811-1812James Blake Bailey
burke
- to murder in such a way as to leave no marks on the body, usually by suffocation
- to get rid of, silence, or suppress
Show More
Word Origin
C19: named after William Burke, executed in Edinburgh for a murder of this type
Burke
- Edmund . 1729–97, British Whig statesman, conservative political theorist, and orator, born in Ireland: defended parliamentary government and campaigned for a more liberal treatment of the American colonies; denounced the French Revolution
- Robert O'Hara . 1820–61, Irish explorer, who led the first expedition (1860–61) across Australia from south to north. He was accompanied by W. J. Wills, George Grey, and John King; King alone survived the return journey
- William . 1792–1829, Irish murderer and body snatcher; associate of William Hare
Show More
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for burking
Burke
v.
family name (first recorded 1066), from Anglo-Norman pronunciation of Old English burgh. Not common in England itself, but it took root in Ireland, where William de Burgo went in 1171 with Henry II and later became Earl of Ulster. As shorthand for a royalty reference book, it represents "A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the United Kingdom," first issued 1826, compiled by John Burke (1787-1848). As a verb meaning "murder by smothering," it is abstracted from William Burk, executed in Edinburgh 1829 for murdering several persons to sell their bodies for dissection.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper