Webster's English Dictionary

Enter the word to look up:

strangle

stran.gle \'stran-g*l\ \-g(*-)lin\ \-g(*-)l*r\ vb or stran.gling [ME 
   stranglen, fr. MF estrangler, fr. L strangulare, fr. Gk (Xstrangalan, fr. 
   strangale halter - more at STRAIN 1a: to choke to death by compressing the 
   throat with or as if with a hand  or rope : THROTTLE 1b: to obstruct 
   seriously or fatally the normal breathing of : SMOTHE R 1c: STIFLE  2: to 
   suppress or hinder the rise, expression, or growth of : choke off  1: to 
   become strangled  2: to die from or as if from interference with breathing  
   - stran.gler n