Smoor
/smʊər/noun
A Scots and northern English verb meaning to smother, suffocate, or extinguish by covering.
Did you know?Smoor is closely connected with the older Germanic vocabulary of choking, smothering, and dying embers, linking breathlessness with extinguished fire.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*smurjaną
“To smother or suffocate; a reconstructed Germanic root associated with obstructing breath.”
Old English
Old English
smorian
“To suffocate, choke, or die from lack of air.”
Middle English
Middle English
smoren
“To suffocate or smother; also used of a fire being covered and extinguished.”
16th–17th Century
Scots
smoor
“To smother, suppress, or extinguish, especially by covering a fire with ash or fuel.”
Modern English
Scots and Northern English
smoor
“To suffocate, smother, or put out a fire by covering it.”