/ ˌstræŋgjuˈleɪʃn; NAmE / noun [ U ]
1.
the act of killing sb by squeezing their throat tightly; the state of being killed in this way :
to die of slow strangulation
2.
( disapproving ) the act of preventing sth from growing or developing :
the strangulation of the human spirit
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: from Latin strangulatio(n-) , from strangulare , from Greek strangalan , from strangalē halter, related to strangos twisted.