Where does “suffocate” come from?

Suffocate comes from Latin suffocare, meaning to choke or stifle, formed from Latin sub meaning under and Latin faux meaning throat or gullet.

suffocate (English): To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from...

Definitions

  1. To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from...

Ancestry of “suffocate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinsuffocatuschoked, stifled, strangled or suffocated
2LatinsuffocoI choke, stifle, strangle or suffocate
3Latinsub-under, sub
4Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “suffocate”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European upó →Every word from Latin sub- →