Smother
/ˈsmʌð.ər/noun
To suffocate someone by preventing them from breathing, often by covering their face or mouth.
Did you know?In olden times, smothering was sometimes associated with witchcraft, where practitioners would use blankets as ritualistic tools to 'suffocate' evil spirits.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*smei-
“to cover, to envelop.”
Old English
Old English
smorian
“to suffocate or choke.”
Middle English
Middle English
smotheren
“to smother or suffocate.”
14th Century
Middle English
smotheren
“to kill by suffocation.”
Modern English
English
smother
“to extinguish or suppress by covering.”
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