Where does “smother” come from?
Smother comes from Middle English smothren, from Old English smorþor, which combined Old English smorþ- with the agent suffix -þor derived from Proto-Germanic -þrą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -trom and -tḗr.
smother (English): To suffocate; stifle; obstruct, more or less...
Definitions
- To suffocate; stifle; obstruct, more or less...
Ancestry of “smother”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | smother | — |
| 2 | Old English | smorþor | smoke |
| 3 | Old English | -þor | instrumental suffix creating neuter nouns from... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -þr | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument; Forms... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -þrą | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | *-trom | — |
Words derived from “smother”