Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - choke

 I. verb  (~d; choking)  Etymology: Middle English, alteration of a~n, from Old English aceocian, from a-, perfective prefix + ceoce, ceace jaw, cheek — more at abide, cheek  Date: 14th century  transitive verb  1. to check or block normal breathing of by compressing or obstructing the trachea or by poisoning or adulterating available air  2.  a. to check or hinder the growth, development, or activity of the flowers were ~d by the weeds  b. to obstruct by filling up or clogging leaves ~d the drain  c. to fill completely ; jam roads ~d with traffic  3. to enrich the fuel mixture of (a motor) by partially shutting off the air intake of the carburetor  4. to grip (as a baseball bat) some distance from the end of the handle — usually used with up  intransitive verb  1. to become ~d in breathing he ~d on a bone  2.  a. to become obstructed or checked  b. to become or feel constricted in the throat (as from strong emotion) — usually used with up ~d up and couldn't finish the speech  3. to shorten one's grip especially on the handle of a bat — usually used with up  4. to lose one's composure and fail to perform effectively in a critical situation had a chance to win the game but he ~d  II. noun  Date: 1736  1. by folk etymology from arti~ the filamentous inedible center of an arti~ flower head; broadly an arti~ flower head  2. something that obstructs passage or flow: as  a. a valve for choking a gasoline engine  b. a constriction in an outlet (as of an oil well) that restricts flow  c. reactor 2  d. a constriction (as a narrowing of the barrel or an attachment) at the muzzle of a shotgun that serves to limit the spread of shot  3. the act of choking