Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - strangle

 verb  (~d; strangling)  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French e~r, from Latin strangulare, from Greek strangalan, from strangale halter — more at strain  Date: 14th century  transitive verb  1.  a. to choke to death by compressing the throat with something (as a hand or rope) ; throttle  b. to obstruct seriously or fatally the normal breathing of  c. stifle  2. to suppress or hinder the rise, expression, or growth of repression ~s free speech  intransitive verb  1. to become ~d  2. to die from or as if from interference with breathing  • ~r noun