Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - suffocate

 verb  (-cated; -cating)  Etymology: Middle English, from Latin suffocatus, past participle of suffocare to choke, stifle, from sub- + fauces throat  Date: 15th century  transitive verb  1.  a.  (1) to stop the respiration of (as by strangling or asphyxiation)  (2) to deprive of oxygen  b. to make uncomfortable by want of fresh air  2. to impede or stop the development of  intransitive verb  1. to become ~d:  a.  (1) to die from being unable to breathe  (2) to die from lack of oxygen  b. to be uncomfortable through lack of fresh air  2. to become checked in development  • suffocation noun  • suffocative adjective