Burke (redirected from Burke, William)

Burke  (bûrk), Edmund 1729-1797.

Irish-born British politician and writer. Famous for his oratory, he pleaded the cause of the American colonists in Parliament and was instrumental in developing the notions of party responsibility and a loyal opposition within the parliamentary system. His major work, Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790), voices his opposition to the excesses of the French experience.

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Burke, Martha Jane

See Martha Jane Burk.

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burke  (bûrk)

tr.v. burked, burk·ing, burkes

1. To suppress or extinguish quietly; stifle: burked the investigation by failing to reappoint the commission.

2. To avoid; disregard: "To make The Tempest a tragic and depressing play he was willing to burke all the elements that made it the exact opposite" (Robert M. Adams).

3. To execute (someone) by suffocation so as to leave the body intact and suitable for dissection.

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[After William Burke (1792-1829), Irish-born grave robber and murderer.]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	Burke - British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797) Edmund Burke
	2.	Burke - United States frontierswoman and legendary figure of the Wild West noted for her marksmanship (1852-1903) Burk, Calamity Jane, Martha Jane Burk, Martha Jane Burke
Verb	1.	burke - murder without leaving a trace on the body murder, off, bump off, slay, polish off, dispatch, remove, hit - kill intentionally and with premeditation; "The mafia boss ordered his enemies murdered"
	2.	burke - get rid of, silence, or suppress; "burke an issue" conquer, inhibit, stamp down, suppress, subdue, curb - to put down by force or authority; "suppress a nascent uprising"; "stamp down on littering"; "conquer one's desires"