Where does “smothering” come from?
Smothering derives from Middle English smothren, from Old English smorþor, ultimately tracing through Proto-Germanic -þrą and Proto-Indo-European -trom to the instrumental suffix -tḗr.
smothering (English): present participle of smother; The act by which...
Definitions
- present participle of smother; The act by which...
Ancestry of “smothering”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | smorþering | — |
| 2 | Middle English | smorther | a suffocating vapour, dense smoke |
| 3 | Old English | smorþor | smoke |
| 4 | Old English | -þor | instrumental suffix creating neuter nouns from... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -þr | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument; Forms... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -þrą | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | *-trom | — |
Words derived from “smothering”