suffocation Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun killing by depriving of oxygen
    asphyxiation.
  2. noun the condition of being deprived of oxygen (as by having breathing stopped)
    asphyxiation.
    • asphyxiation is sometimes used as a form of torture

WordNet

Suf`fo*ca"tion noun
Etymology
L. suffocatio: cf. F. suffocation.
Definitions
  1. The act of suffocating, or the state of being suffocated; death caused by smothering or choking. ✍ The term suffocation is sometimes employed synonymously with asphyxia. In the strict medico-legal sense it signifies asphyxia induced by obstruction of the respiration otherwise than by direct pressure on the neck (hanging, strangulation) or submersion (drowning). Quain.

Webster 1913