asphyxia
|as-phyx-i-a|
/æsˈfɪk.si.ə/
loss of breathing/oxygen
Etymology
'asphyxia' originates from Modern Latin/medical New Latin, ultimately from Greek, specifically the Greek word 'asphuxía', where the prefix 'a-' meant 'without' and 'sphuxía' (from 'sphygx') meant 'pulse'.
'asphyxia' passed from Greek 'asphuxía' into New Latin/medical Latin as 'asphyxia' and was adopted into English in medical usage with little change in form.
Initially, it meant 'absence of pulse' or 'without pulse', but over time it evolved to mean 'a condition of oxygen deprivation or suffocation' and the modern medical sense of respiratory failure or suffocation.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a condition caused by insufficient intake of oxygen or impaired breathing, often leading to unconsciousness or death; suffocation.
The patient suffered asphyxia after inhaling smoke during the fire.
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Noun 2
in forensic or clinical contexts, death or serious harm resulting from lack of oxygen or mechanical obstruction of breathing (often classified as 'mechanical asphyxia').
The coroner listed asphyxia due to neck compression as the cause of death.
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Last updated: 2025/10/31 08:34