stifle1
v.
- prevent from breathing freely; suffocate.
- smother or suppress:
she stifled a giggle.
▸prevent or constrain (an activity or idea).
Derivative
- stifler n.
- stifling adj.
- stiflingly adv.
Etymology
ME: perh. from a frequentative of OFr. estouffer ‘smother, stifle’.
stifle2
n.
a joint in the legs of horses, dogs, and other animals, equivalent to the knee in humans.
Etymology
ME: of unknown origin.