Smother
Middle English (as a noun in the sense ‘stifling smoke’): from the base of Old English smorian ‘suffocate’.
wiktionary
From Middle English smothren, smortheren, alteration (due to smother, smorther(“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”, noun)) of Middle English smoren(“to smother”), from Old English smorian(“to smother, suffocate, choke”), from Proto-Germanic *smurōną(“to suffocate, strangle”). Cognate with Middle Low German smoren, smurten(“to choke, suffocate”), West Flemish smoren(“to smoke, reek”), Dutch smoren(“to suffocate, smother", also "to stew, simmer”), German schmoren(“to stew, simmer, braise”).
From Middle English smother, smorther(“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”), from Old English smorþor(“smoke”, literally “that which suffocates”), from smorian(“to suffocate, choke”) + -þor(instrumental suffix).
etymonline
smother (v.)
c. 1200, "to suffocate with smoke," from smother (n.), earlier smorthre "dense, suffocating smoke" (late 12c.), from stem of Old English smorian "to suffocate, choke, strangle, stifle," cognate with Middle Dutch smoren, German schmoren; possibly connected to smolder. Meaning "to kill by suffocation in any manner" is from 1540s; sense of "to extinguish a fire" is from 1590s. Sense of "stifle, repress" is first recorded 1570s; meaning "to cover thickly (with some substance)" is from 1590s. Related: Smothered; smothering.
