asphyxia

[ as-fik-see-uh ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. the extreme condition caused by lack of oxygen and excess of carbon dioxide in the blood, produced by interference with respiration or insufficient oxygen in the air; suffocation.

asphyxia

/ æsˈfɪksɪə /

noun

1. lack of oxygen in the blood due to restricted respiration; suffocation. If severe enough and prolonged, it causes death

asphyxia

/ ăs-fĭk′sē-ə /

1. A condition characterized by an extreme decrease in the amount of oxygen in the body accompanied by an increase of carbon dioxide, caused by an an inability to breathe. Asphyxia usually results in loss of consciousness and sometimes death.

Derived Forms

• asˈphyxial, adjective

Other Words From

• as·phyxi·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of asphyxia¹

First recorded in 1700–10; from New Latin, from Greek asphyxía “a stopping of the pulse,” equivalent to a- a- ⁶ + sphýx(is) “pulse” + -ia -ia

Word History and Origins

Origin of asphyxia¹

C18: from New Latin, from Greek asphuxia a stopping of the pulse, from a- ¹+ sphuxis pulse, from sphuzein to throb

Example Sentences

The state medical examiner’s office ruled Otieno’s death a homicide, finding that he died of “positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints.”

From Seattle Times

Yet AP found instructors at several state-certified training centers continue to teach — wrongly — that holding someone facedown doesn’t cause death by what’s known as positional asphyxia, which happens when the chest can’t expand, starving the body of oxygen.

From Seattle Times

Officers almost always used prone restraint with other force, and within AP’s database medical officials cited prone position or asphyxia due to restraint as a cause or contributing factor in 61 of the 740 cases that involved the maneuver during the investigation’s 2012-2021 timeframe.

From Seattle Times

While the Georgia Public Safety Training Center could not document exactly what Celinski was taught as a recruit in 2013, its leader of basic training told the AP that positional asphyxia was part of his curriculum, and instructors had to certify that graduates understood it.

From Seattle Times

Told that, Celinski said positional asphyxia may have been discussed briefly during the 408-hour basic training course.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• coma
• slumber
• trance