DictionaryRoot: faux
Latin
faux
throat, narrow entrance
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verb
suffocate
SUF-uh-kayt/ˈsʌfəkeɪt/
To deprive someone of breathable air.
Etymology
The “up” and “throat” pieces express the original image “narrow up”: constricting the passage for air. That choking image underlies the sense of dying, or causing death, through lack of air.