suffoco

Latin

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /sufˈfoː.koː/, [s̠ʊfˈfoːkoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /sufˈfo.ko/, [sufˈfɔːko]

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		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		suffōcāre	suffōcāvisse	suffōcātūrum esse	suffōcārī	suffōcātum esse	suffōcātum īrī
participles		suffōcāns	—	suffōcātūrus	—	suffōcātus	suffōcandus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		suffōcandī	suffōcandō	suffōcandum	suffōcandō	suffōcātum	suffōcātū

Descendants

• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: soffocare
    • → Piedmontese: sofoché
• North Italian:
  • Lombard: sofegar
  • Venetian: sofegar, sofigar
  • → Old French: sofoger (only in Marco Polo)
• Borrowings:
  • → Catalan: sufocar
  • → English: suffocate
  • → French: suffoquer
  • → Galician: sufocar
  • → Portuguese: sufocar
  • → Spanish: sofocar

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “suffocare”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volumes 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 (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016