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==Etymology== |
==Etymology== |
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''Burke'' is Anglo-Norman pronunciation of ''burgh'', which was "a topographical |
''Burke'' is Anglo-Norman pronunciation of ''burgh'', which was "a topographical |
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− | surname for someone who lived in a fortified place." |
+ | surname for someone who lived in a fortified place."<ref>[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Burke Wiktionary Definition: Burke]</ref> In Middle |
− | "fort or fortified town,"<ref>[http://surnames.behindthename.com/name/burke Behind The Name Definition: Burke]</ref> though in Old English, it meant "to murder by |
+ | English, it meant a "fort or fortified town,"<ref>[http://surnames.behindthename.com/name/burke Behind The Name Definition: Burke]</ref> though in Old English, it meant "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" |
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− | + | or "to smother; to conceal, hush up, suppress." It can also be a variant of the |
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− | + | British slang term ''berk'', meaning "idiot".<ref>[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/burke Wiktionary Definition: burke]</ref> |
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Burke is also a real surname common in Britain and Ireland. It comes from the |
Burke is also a real surname common in Britain and Ireland. It comes from the |
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''Norman de Burgo'' which was Anglicised in Irish as ''de Búrca''. |
''Norman de Burgo'' which was Anglicised in Irish as ''de Búrca''. |
Revision as of 03:16, 3 September 2013
Burke is the surname of a pure-blood[1] wizarding family, and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
They are related to the Black, Flint[2] and possibly the Malfoy families and they may be the co-owners of the Knockturn Alley shop Borgin and Burkes, which specializes in Dark artefacts.
Family Members
- Belvina Burke née Black — the only daughter of Phineas Nigellus Black and Ursula Flint
- Caractacus Burke — one of the original founders of Borgin and Burkes
- Elizabeth Burke — a witch with a portrait in the Slytherin Dungeon of Hogwarts Castle who encourages Slytherin students to be "mean to Mudbloods"
- Herbert Burke — husband of Belvina Black
Etymology
Burke is Anglo-Norman pronunciation of burgh, which was "a topographical surname for someone who lived in a fortified place."[3] In Middle English, it meant a "fort or fortified town,"[4] though in Old English, it meant "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" or "to smother; to conceal, hush up, suppress." It can also be a variant of the British slang term berk, meaning "idiot".[5] Burke is also a real surname common in Britain and Ireland. It comes from the Norman de Burgo which was Anglicised in Irish as de Búrca.
In the real world, Edmund Burke, generally known only by his surname, was an Anglo-Irish political philosopher who argued in favour of traditional monarchism. Thus perhaps the Burke family having many members as pure blood supremacists is meant as an allusion to this historical figure.
Notes and references
- ↑ Given that Herbert Burke married Belvina Black and that she was not disowned or removed from the Black tapestry for the marriage, it can be assumed that Herbert was pure-blood.
- ↑ Black family tree
- ↑ Wiktionary Definition: Burke
- ↑ Behind The Name Definition: Burke
- ↑ Wiktionary Definition: burke