smother

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   deprive of the oxygen necessary for combustion

   Smother fires.

2. 2
   verb

   deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing

   Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow.

3. 3
   verb

   form an impenetrable cover over

   The butter cream smothered the cake.

From Middle English smothren, smortheren, alteration (due to smother, smorther (“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”, noun)) of Middle English smoren (“to smother”), from Old English smorian (“to smother, suffocate, choke”), from Proto-Germanic *smurōną (“to suffocate, strangle”), probably related to *smallijan (“to burn”) or Old English smoca (“smoke”). Cognate with Middle Low German smoren, smurten (“to choke, suffocate”), West Flemish smoren (“to smoke, reek”), Dutch smoren (“to suffocate, smother", also "to stew, simmer”), German schmoren (“to stew, simmer, braise”).

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