rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: -atio
Latin

-atio

an action, process, or result

Forms

  • -atio
  • -ation- — Latin stem used outside the basic noun form.
  • -ation — Borrowed into English through French and Latin.

Origin

Latin -a-, associated with one class of verbs, plus the action-noun suffix -tio.

Note

The same formation can name either doing something or what the action produces.

371 / 398
Paramedics assist a seated adult in respiratory distress with an oxygen mask, non-graphic rescue context.
noun

suffocation

suf-uh-KAY-shun/ˌsʌfəˈkeɪʃn/

Distress or death caused by being unable to breathe.

Etymology
sufLatinunder; up from under; subordinate or lesser
+focLatinthroat, narrow entrance
+ationLatinan action, process, or result

The pieces evoke narrowing the throat up: the underlying Latin verb originally meant “to narrow up,” then “to choke or stifle.” Suffocation names the resulting obstruction of breathing and its harmful effects.

Full entry

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