Choken

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An archaic past participle of choke, describing something that has been strangled or blocked up so that breath or passage is cut off
2. Obsolete past participle of the verb choke, used of a person or passage that has been suffocated or obstructed
3. A former form of the past participle of choke, meaning throttled, smothered or clogged so that flow or breathing is stopped

Etymology: "Choken" is not a separate word but an older spelling of "choke," the form Middle English writers used for the verb. Medieval English often ended verbs in "-en," so "choken" was the ordinary way to write the infinitive and the past participle, and the modern spelling came later as the -en ending wore away. The verb itself goes back to Old English, where a related form, "ceocian," meant to choke or gasp for breath. The sense has stayed close to its origin. The older verb described physical obstruction of the throat or airway, and it is still used that way today. Figurative uses, such as choking a performance or a market, developed from the same basic idea of being blocked from breathing or moving freely. Only the spelling has changed much.