Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “suffocative” come from?

suffocative (English) comes from English -ive, from Middle English -yf, from Old French -if, from Latin -īvus, from Proto-Indo-European -iHwós, from Proto-Indo-European -wós — Creates adjectives from verb stems.

suffocative (English): Tending or able to choke or stifle

Definitions

  1. Tending or able to choke or stifle

Ancestry of “suffocative”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-iveAn adjective suffix signifying relating or...
2Middle English-yfA suffix designating adjectives, adverbs and...
3Old French-if-ive
4Latin-īvus—
5Proto-Indo-European-iHwós—
6Proto-Indo-European-wósCreates adjectives from verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -wós →