suffocate

Definition

To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.

Etymology

The adjective is first attested in the 1420's, the verb in 1526; from Middle English suffocat(e) (“deprived of air, suffocated”), borrowed from Latin suffōcātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin suffōcō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from sub- (“under, up to”) + fōx (“throat”, oblique stem in fōc-). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.

Example Sentences

• "Open the hatch, he is suffocating in the airlock!"
• "It is because of freedom, one netizen replied: Like air, you may not realize its importance, but when suffocating, you would know how precious it is."
• "He suffocated his wife by holding a pillow over her head."

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