Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “choke” come from?

Choke comes from Middle English choken, from Old English ċēocian, related to Old English ċēoce, from Proto-Germanic kakǭ, from Proto-Indo-European gog.

choke (English): To be unable to breathe because of obstruction of...

Definitions

  1. To be unable to breathe because of obstruction of...

Ancestry of “choke”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishchoken—
2Middle Englishacheken—
3Middle Englisha-up, out, away; of; on, in
4Old Englishā-a-; away, out
5Old Englishar-—
6Proto-West Germanicuʀ-out, over; off, away
7Proto-Germanicuz-up, out
8Proto-Indo-Europeanuss-—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanuds-up, out
10Proto-Indo-Europeanúdout, outward

Words derived from “choke”

  • choking
  • choker
  • chokingly
  • chokehold
  • chokecherry
  • choky
  • chokey
  • chokepoint
  • chokeberry
  • chokedamp
  • chokered
  • chokily
  • chokiness
  • choketh
  • unchoke
  • chokebore
  • chokest
  • multichoke
  • chokestrap
  • chokeslam
  • chokecoil
  • ឆូក
Every word from Proto-Indo-European úd →