Definition of asphyxia
1
: a lack of oxygen or excess of carbon dioxide in the body that results in unconsciousness and often death and is usually caused by interruption of breathing or inadequate oxygen supply
2
: the state of being stifled or suppressed
As a patient in hospital I felt both anguish and asphyxia—the anguish of being confronted with dissolution, and asphyxia because I could not be heard.— Oliver Sacks
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for asphyxia
The first known use of asphyxia was in 1778
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