stifle

See also: štifle

English

Alternative forms

• stifil

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English stiflen, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Norse stífla (“to dam, choke, stop up”), from stífla (“dam”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *stīfilaz, *stīfilą (“prop, pole, support”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European *steip-, *steib- (“stake, picket”). Cognate with Icelandic stífla (“to dam up, jam, block”), Norwegian stivla (“to dam up, choke, stop”), Low German stipel (“support wood”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈstaɪfl/
• Rhymes: -aɪfəl

Noun

stifle (plural stifles)

1. A hind knee of various mammals, especially horses.
2. (veterinary medicine) A bone disease of this region.

Translations

a hind knee of various mammals, especially horses

• Finnish: takapolvi, polvi (fi)
• French: grasset (fr) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: grassella
• Portuguese: curvejão (pt) m, jarrete (pt) m

bone disease of this region

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Verb

1. (transitive) To interrupt or cut off.
2. (transitive) To repress, keep in or hold back.
   • (Can we date this quote by Waterland and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     I desire only to have things fairly represented as they really are; no evidence smothered or stifled.

   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 15, in The Mirror and the Lamp:

     Edward Churchill still attended to his work in a hopeless mechanical manner like a sleep-walker who walks safely on a well-known round. But his Roman collar galled him, his cossack stifled him, his biretta was as uncomfortable as a merry-andrew's cap and bells.

   • 2011 October 29, Neil Johnston, “Norwich 3-3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport:

     In fact, there was no suggestion of that, although Wolves deployed men behind the ball to stifle the league leaders in a first-half that proved very frustrating for City.

   The army stifled the rebellion.

3. (transitive) To smother or suffocate.
   • (Can we date this quote by John Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Stifled with kisses, a sweet death he dies.

   • (Can we date this quote by Jonathan Swift and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     I took my leave, being half stifled with the closeness of the room.

   The heat was stifling the children.

4. (intransitive) To feel smothered etc.

   The heat felt stifling.

5. (intransitive) To die of suffocation.

   Two firemen tragically stifled in yesterday's fire when trying to rescue an old lady from her bedroom.

6. (transitive) To treat a silkworm cocoon with steam as part of the process of silk production.

Synonyms

• (to die of suffocation): See also Thesaurus:die
• (To repress or hold back): hinder, restrain, suppress, throttle

Translations

to interrupt or cut off

• Bulgarian: прекъсвам (bg) (prekǎsvam)
• Dutch: onderbreken (nl), afbreken (nl)
• Finnish: katkaista (fi), keskeyttää (fi)
• French: interrompre (fr), couper (fr)
• German: unterbrechen (de)
• Italian: interrompere (it), tagliare (it), celare (it), ricoprire (it)
• Japanese: 遮る (さえぎる, saegiru)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Khmer: បង្អាក់ (km) (bɑŋ’ak)
• Occitan: interrompre (oc), copar (oc)
• Portuguese: interromper (pt)
• Russian: прерыва́ть (ru) impf (preryvátʹ), прерва́ть (ru) pf (prervátʹ)
• Swedish: stävja (sv), förhindra (sv)
• Turkish: kesilmek (tr)

to repress, keep in or hold back

• Czech: potlačit
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: onderdrukken (nl)
• Finnish: tukahduttaa (fi), vaimentaa (fi)
• French: réprimer (fr)
• German: unterdrücken (de)
• Hungarian: elfojt (hu)
• Italian: soffocare (it), reprimere (it), trattenere (it), affogare (it)
• Japanese: 抑える (ja) (おさえる, osaeru), (a yawn) 噛み殺す (かみころす, kamikorosu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Khmer: រារាំង (km) (rie reaŋ)
• Maori: whakakōmau, nati, nanati, whakapongere, tāmoe
• Occitan: reprimir
• Portuguese: reprimir (pt)
• Russian: подавля́ть (ru) impf (podavljátʹ), подави́ть (ru) pf (podavítʹ)
• Spanish: reprimir (es), sofocar (es)
• Swedish: stävja (sv), undertrycka (sv), dämpa (sv), tillbakahålla
• Turkish: tutmak (tr)

to smother or suffocate

• Bulgarian: душа (bg) (duša), задушавам (bg) (zadušavam), удушавам (bg) (udušavam)
• Czech: dusit (cs), udusit (cs)
• Finnish: tukehduttaa (fi)
• German: erdrücken (de), ersticken (de)
• Hungarian: elfojt (hu)
• Italian: soffocare (it), boccheggiare (it)
• Japanese: (a person) 窒息させる (ちっそくさせる, chissoku saseru), (an activity or desire) 抑圧する (ja) (よくあつする, yokuatsu suru), (a flame) 消す (ja) (けす, kesu). (a sound) 静める (しずめる, shizumeru), (a rumor) もみ消す (もみけす, momikesu)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: suffōcō
• Maori: tāmi, tātāmi
• Occitan: sufocar
• Portuguese: sufocar (pt)
• Russian: души́ть (ru) impf (dušítʹ), задуши́ть (ru) pf (zadušítʹ)
• Spanish: sofocar (es)
• Swedish: stävja (sv), kväva (sv)
• Turkish: bastırmak (tr), boğulmak (tr)

to feel smothered

• Finnish: tukahtua
• Italian: boccheggiare (it)
• Japanese: 窒息しそう (ちっそくしそう, chissoku shisou)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: задыха́ться (ru) impf (zadyxátʹsja), задохну́ться (ru) pf (zadoxnútʹsja)

to die of suffocation

• Czech: udusit se
• Dutch: stikken (nl)
• Finnish: tukehtua (fi)
• German: ersticken (de)
• Hungarian: megfullad (hu)
• Italian: soffocare (it), asfissiare (it)
• Japanese: 窒息する (ちっそくする, chissoku suru)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Occitan: sufocar
• Portuguese: sufocar (pt)
• Russian: задыха́ться (ru) impf (zadyxátʹsja), задохну́ться (ru) pf (zadoxnútʹsja)
• Spanish: asfixiarse (es)
• Swedish: kvävas (sv)
• Turkish: boğulmak (tr)

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “stifle”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• filets, fliest, flites, itself