burke

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Verb 1.4 Noun

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

Eponym, from William Burke.

[edit] Pronunciation

• enPR: bûrk
• IPA:
• SAMPA:
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}
• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)k

[edit] Verb

to burke (third-person singular simple present burkes, present participle burking, simple past and past participle burked)

1. To murder by suffocation, or as to produce few marks of violence, for the purpose of obtaining a body to be sold for dissection.
   • 1836, Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, Chapter 31:

     ‘You don’t mean to say he was burked, Sam?’ said Mr. Pickwick, looking hastily round.

2. To smother; to conceal, hush up, suppress.
   • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, "A Bank Fraud," Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio 2005, p. 128:

     He put away—burked—the Directors' letter, and went in to talk to Riley

[edit] Noun

burke (plural burkes)

1. (British, slang) Variant spelling of berk.