Suffumigating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To expose something to vapor, mist, or smoke for purposes of purification or disinfection
2. To conduct the act of enveloping an object or space with aromatic or medicinal fumes
3. To apply a gaseous substance to create a cleansing or therapeutic atmosphere

Etymology: "Suffumigating" is the present participle of "suffumigate," which comes from Latin "suffumigatus," the past participle of "suffumigare," meaning "to fumigate from below." The Latin verb is built from "sub-," meaning "under," and "fumigare," the source of the English "fumigate." So the core idea is smoke rising upward, applied from beneath the object being treated. That underlying image explains the word's shape. "Fumigare" itself is built on "fumus," Latin for "smoke," and the prefix "sub-" adds the sense of the fumes working from underneath. Where "fumigate" simply means to treat something with smoke or vapour, the extra prefix narrows the action to the smoke being directed upward from below.