suffocation

Inherited from Middle English suffocation, suffocacioun, from Middle French suffocation, from Latin suffocatio.

suffocation (countable and uncountable, plural suffocations)

1. (uncountable) Asphyxia—a condition in which an extreme decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the body accompanied by an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide leads to loss of consciousness or death.
   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXIX, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 302:

     The moon, directly opposite, flung into the room a long and tremulous line of light, which fell on Guido's face, as he reclined on the pillows which supported his head; he needed the support, for a feeling of suffocation was his constant complaint.

   A child left unattended may die of suffocation.

2. (countable) A particular act of death or killing by means of asphyxia.

   The coroner reported three suffocations last week.

• asphyxia

• suffocate

• “suffocation”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “suffocation”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “suffocation”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “suffocation”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

• auctions off, offuscation

From Latin suffocātiōnem.

• IPA^(key): /sy.fɔ.ka.sjɔ̃/

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suffocation f (plural suffocations)

1. suffocation

• “suffocation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.