smother
/ˈsməðər/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.85 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To suffocate; stifle; obstruct, more or less completely, the respiration of something or someone.
Transitive verb
verb
To extinguish or deaden, as fire, by covering, overlaying, or otherwise excluding the air.
Transitive verb
verb
To reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity; suppress or do away with; extinguish
Transitive verb
verb
To breathe with great difficulty by reason of smoke, dust, close covering or wrapping, or the like.
Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "He smothered her by pressing his hand over her mouth."
- "But I am Pestilence;—hither and thither I flit about, that I may slay and smother;— All lips which I have kissed must surely wither, But Death’s—if thou art he, we’ll go to work together!"
- "[…] he dashes to his destination at such a speed that when he stops the horse half smothers him in a cloud of steam. "Unbear him half a moment to freshen him up, and I'll be back.""
- "The awfulest thing was the silence; there wasn't a sound but the screaking of the saddles, the measured tramplings, and the sneezing of the horses, afflicted by the smothering dust-clouds which they kicked up."
- "to smother a fire with ashes"
- "The committee's report was smothered."
Etymology
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-West Germanic *smorōn, 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”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: smothren, smoren, smorian, *smorōn, *smurōną, smother
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsməðər/
- British English: /ˈsmʌðə/