throttle
/ˈθɹɒtəl/ noun, verb
Forms throttles throttling throttled
- noun A valve that regulates the supply of fuel-air mixture to an internal combustion engine and thus controls its speed; a similar valve that controls the air supply to an engine.
- noun The lever or pedal that controls this valve.
- noun (anatomy, archaic) The windpipe or trachea.
- verb (transitive) To control or adjust the speed of (an engine).
- verb (transitive) To cut back on the speed of (an engine, person, organization, network connection, etc.).
- verb (transitive) To strangle or choke someone.
- verb (intransitive) To have the throat obstructed so as to be in danger of suffocation; to choke; to suffocate.
- verb (intransitive) To breathe hard, as when nearly suffocated.
- verb (transitive) To utter with breaks and interruption, in the manner of a person half suffocated.
Synonyms
accelerator gas pedal gas throttle valve accelerator pedal gun restrict restrain trammel limit bound confine strangle strangulate choke
Etymology
From Middle English *throtel, diminutive of throte (“throat”), equivalent to throat + -le. Compare German Drossel (“throttle”). More at throat.
From Middle English throtlen (“to choke, strangle, suffocate”), from the noun (see above). Compare German erdrosseln (“to strangle, choke, throttle”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The windpipe, or trachea; the weasand. Sir W. Scott.
- noun The throttle valve. Throttle lever (Steam Engine), the hand lever by which a throttle valve is moved, especially in a locomotive.
- verb To compress the throat of; to choke; to strangle.
- verb To utter with breaks and interruption, in the manner of a person half suffocated. [R.]
Etymology [Dim. of throat. See Throat.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “throttle”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details