burking

Variant of burke

burke definition

burke (bʉrk)

transitive verb burked, burking burk′·ing

  1. Obsolete to murder by suffocating so as to leave the body unmarked and fit to be sold for dissection
  2. to get rid of quietly; evade or suppress, as a parliamentary bill, discussion, etc.

Etymology: after William Burke (1792-1829), executed for the act, in Edinburgh

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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