Meanings
plural suffocations
- uncountableAsphyxia—a condition in which an extreme decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the body accompanied by an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide leads to loss of consciousness or death.
A child left unattended may die of suffocation.
1 more example
The moon, directly opposite, flung into the room a long and tremulous line of light, which fell on Guido's face, as he reclined on the pillows which supported his head; he needed the support, for a feeling of suffocation was his constant complaint.
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXIX, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 302
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe condition of being deprived of oxygen (as by having breathing stopped)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinsuffocatio
- Middle Frenchsuffocation
- Middle Englishsuffocation
- Englishsuffocation
Inherited from Middle English suffocation, suffocacioun, from Middle French suffocation, from Latin suffocatio.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian удушване, задушаване
- удушване (udušvane)particular death or killing
- задушаване (zadušavane)asphyxia
Danish kvælning
- kvælningasphyxia
Dutch verstikking
- verstikkingasphyxia
French suffocation
- suffocationasphyxia
German Erstickung
- Erstickungasphyxia
Greek πνιγμονή, πνιγμοσύνη
- πνιγμονή (pnigmoní)particular death or killing
- πνιγμοσύνη (pnigmosýni)particular death or killing
- πνιγμονή (pnigmoní)asphyxia
- πνίξιμο (pníximo)asphyxia
- πνιγμοσύνη (pnigmosýni)asphyxia
Hungarian megfojtás, fulladás
- megfojtásparticular death or killing
- fulladásasphyxia
Irish múchadh, plúchadh
- múchadhasphyxia
- plúchadhasphyxia
Italian soffocazione
- soffocazioneasphyxia
Latin suffocatio
- suffocatioasphyxia
Russian удуше́ние, удуше́ние
- удуше́ние (udušénije)particular death or killing
- удуше́ние (udušénije)asphyxia
- уду́шье (udúšʹje)asphyxia
Scottish Gaelic tachdadh
- tachdadhparticular death or killing
Swedish kvävning
- kvävningasphyxia
Cite this entry
suffocation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/suffocation
“suffocation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/suffocation. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “suffocation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/suffocation.
Source: suffocation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.