(n) a condition in which insufficient or no oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged on a ventilatory basis; caused by choking or drowning or electric shock or poison gas
(v) deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing, Syn. suffocate, asphyxiate, Example:Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow; The child suffocated herself with a plastic bag that the parents had left on the floor
(n) the condition of being deprived of oxygen (as by having breathing stopped), Syn. asphyxiation, Example:asphyxiation is sometimes used as a form of torture
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English (GCIDE) v.0.53 Collaborative International Dictionary (GCIDE)
{ ‖ } n. [ NL. asphyxia, fr. Gr. &unr_;; 'a priv. + &unr_; to throb, beat. ] (Med.) Apparent death, or suspended animation; the condition which results from interruption of respiration, as in suffocation or drowning, or the inhalation of poisonous or irrespirable gases. [ 1913 Webster ]