v.
1. tr. choke or kill by stopping breathing, esp. by pressure, fumes, etc.
2 tr. (often foll. by by, with) produce a choking or breathless sensation in, esp. by excitement, terror, etc.
3 intr. be or feel suffocated or breathless.
Derivatives:
suffocating adj. suffocatingly adv. suffocation n.
Etymology: L suffocare (as SUB-, fauces throat)