suffoco

Latin

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *upó

Proto-Italic *supo

Latin sub

Latin sub-

Latin fōc-

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Latin suffōcō

From sub- + fōc- (“throat”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [sʊfˈfoː.koː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [sufˈfɔː.ko]

Verb

suffōcō (present infinitive suffōcāre, perfect active suffōcāvī, supine suffōcātum); first conjugation

1. to choke, stifle, strangle, suffocate, drown

   Synonyms: premō, angō

Usage notes

To convey the verb "suffocate" in the sense of "suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body," one must use the passive voice; the active voice is said of someone who causes another to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.

Conjugation

   Conjugation of suffōcō (first conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	suffōcō		suffōcās		suffōcat		suffōcāmus		suffōcātis		suffōcant
	imperfect	suffōcābam		suffōcābās		suffōcābat		suffōcābāmus		suffōcābātis		suffōcābant
	future	suffōcābō		suffōcābis		suffōcābit		suffōcābimus		suffōcābitis		suffōcābunt
	perfect	suffōcāvī		suffōcāvistī		suffōcāvit		suffōcāvimus		suffōcāvistis		suffōcāvērunt, suffōcāvēre
	pluperfect	suffōcāveram		suffōcāverās		suffōcāverat		suffōcāverāmus		suffōcāverātis		suffōcāverant
	future perfect	suffōcāverō		suffōcāveris		suffōcāverit		suffōcāverimus		suffōcāveritis		suffōcāverint
passive	present	suffōcor		suffōcāris, suffōcāre		suffōcātur		suffōcāmur		suffōcāminī		suffōcantur
	imperfect	suffōcābar		suffōcābāris, suffōcābāre		suffōcābātur		suffōcābāmur		suffōcābāminī		suffōcābantur
	future	suffōcābor		suffōcāberis, suffōcābere		suffōcābitur		suffōcābimur		suffōcābiminī		suffōcābuntur
	perfect	suffōcātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	suffōcātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	suffōcātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	suffōcem		suffōcēs		suffōcet		suffōcēmus		suffōcētis		suffōcent
	imperfect	suffōcārem		suffōcārēs		suffōcāret		suffōcārēmus		suffōcārētis		suffōcārent
	perfect	suffōcāverim		suffōcāverīs		suffōcāverit		suffōcāverīmus		suffōcāverītis		suffōcāverint
	pluperfect	suffōcāvissem		suffōcāvissēs		suffōcāvisset		suffōcāvissēmus		suffōcāvissētis		suffōcāvissent
passive	present	suffōcer		suffōcēris, suffōcēre		suffōcētur		suffōcēmur		suffōcēminī		suffōcentur
	imperfect	suffōcārer		suffōcārēris, suffōcārēre		suffōcārētur		suffōcārēmur		suffōcārēminī		suffōcārentur
	perfect	suffōcātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	suffōcātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		suffōcā		—		—		suffōcāte		—
	future	—		suffōcātō		suffōcātō		—		suffōcātōte		suffōcantō
passive	present	—		suffōcāre		—		—		suffōcāminī		—
	future	—		suffōcātor		suffōcātor		—		—		suffōcantor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		suffōcāre			suffōcārī			suffōcāns			—
future		suffōcātūrum esse			suffōcātum īrī			suffōcātūrus			suffōcandus
perfect		suffōcāvisse			suffōcātum esse			—			suffōcātus
future perfect		—			suffōcātum fore			—			—
perfect potential		suffōcātūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		suffōcandī		suffōcandō		suffōcandum		suffōcandō		suffōcātum		suffōcātū

Descendants

• Italo-Dalmatian:
  • Istriot: sufagà
  • Italian: soffocare, soffogare
    • → Piedmontese: sofoché
  • Sicilian: suffucari, soffucari, soffocari
  • Venetan: sofegar, sofigar (Trieste)
    • → Old French: sofoger (only in Marco Polo)
• Gallo-Italic:
  • Lombard: sofegar
• Borrowings:
  • → Catalan: sufocar
  • → English: suffocate
  • → Esperanto: sufoki
  • → French: suffoquer
  • → Galician: sufocar
  • → Ido: sufokar
  • → Portuguese: sufocar
  • → Spanish: sofocar

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “suffocare”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 12: Sk–š, page 414

Further reading

• “suffoco”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “suffoco”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “suffoco”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• suffoco in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016