stifle joint

transitive verb stifled, stifling

1. to kill by cutting off the supply of air from; suffocate; smother; choke
2. to suppress or repress; hold back; check, stop, inhibit, etc.: to stifle a sob, to stifle protests

Origin: altered (prob. infl. by ON stīfla, to stop up: for IE base see stiff) < ME stuflen, freq. formation < MFr estouffer, to smother < VL *stuppare, to stuff up (see stop), infl. by *extufare, to quench, smother, steam, stew

intransitive verb

1. to die from lack of air
2. to suffer from lack of fresh, cool air