Wordwyrt

stifle

/sˈtaɪfəl/STIGH-fuhl
/sˈtaɪfəl/STIGH-fuhl

Meaningblock or dam up

Common meaning: suffocate or suppress

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√STAP‘cause to stand, make firm’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 423, p. 745 · scan
  2. Old Norsestifla‘block or dam up’source
  3. Latinstiparesource
  4. Middle Englishstivensource
  5. Englishmeaning shiftsblock or dam up → suffocate or suppressstifle‘suffocate or suppress’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old Norse stifla ‘block or dam up’.

Roots

  • stifla Old Norse “block or dam up”

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