DictionaryRoot: sub-
Latin

sub-

under; up from under; subordinate or lesser

Forms

  • sub-
  • suc- — Used before c in Latin.
  • suf- — Used before f in Latin.
  • sug- — Used before g in Latin.
  • sum- — Used before m in Latin.
  • sup- — Used before p in Latin.
  • sur- — Used before r in Latin.
  • su- — Used before s in some Latin compounds.
  • sus- — A historical Latin variant associated with the longer form subs-.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *upo, ‘under; up from below.’

Note

An upward action can start underneath something, so ‘under’ and ‘up’ need not conflict.

67 / 101
A medical educational diagram shows a pair of lungs with a blocked incoming O₂ arrow, absence of breathable air; no injured person.
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.

Full entry

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