BURKING

Verb

burking

present participle of burke

Source: Wiktionary


BURKE

Burke, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burkeder, p. pr. & vb.n. Burkinger.] Etym: [From one Burke of Edinburgh, who committed the crime in 1829.]

1. To murder by suffocation, or so as to produce few marks of violence, for the purpose of obtaining a body to be sold for dissection.

2. To dispose of quietly or indirectly; to suppress; to smother; to shelve; as, to burke a parliamentary question. The court could not burke an inquiry, supported by such a mass of a affidavits. C. Reade.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

6 June 2025

PUNGENCY

(noun) wit having a sharp and caustic quality; “he commented with typical pungency”; “the bite of satire”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

According to WorldAtlas, Finland is the biggest coffee consumer in the entire world. The average Finn will consume 12 kg of coffee each year.

coffee icon