burkism means murder for the purpose of selling the body for dissection. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why “burkism” is a great word
BURKISM — [Noun] Murder committed for the purpose of selling the victim's body for anatomical dissection. From the surname Burke (after William Burke, a 19th-century murderer) + the suffix -ism (denoting a practice or system). First recorded in 1829. Unlike "homicide," a neutral general term, or "grave robbery," the theft of an already-interred body, Burkism is the deliberate manufacture of a fresh commodity for the lecture hall. It is the cold calculation of profit over breath, the stifled cry in a West Port lodging house, and the grotesque efficiency of skipping the cemetery entirely. A stark transaction where life was the sole impediment to a profitable sale.
noun
- Murder for the purpose of selling the body for dissection.