What is the term for the deliberate prevention of breathing or airflow?

The term that accurately describes the deliberate prevention of breathing or airflow is asphyxiation. Asphyxiation involves the lack of oxygen reaching the body's tissues, which can occur due to various reasons, including complete airway obstruction or the inability to breathe effectively due to other factors. In this context, although suffocation can often be used interchangeably with asphyxiation in a general sense, asphyxiation is the more precise medical term focused on the physiological effect of oxygen deprivation.

Suffocation typically refers to the cessation of air intake and can be caused by a foreign body or obstruction, leading to difficulty in breathing. While strangulation specifically relates to the act of compressing the neck to cut off airflow, and choking refers to the obstruction of the airway, asphyxiation encompasses a broader range of scenarios where sufficient oxygen is not available.

Understanding these distinctions clarifies why asphyxiation is regarded as the correct term for this specific condition of decreased airflow and subsequent inability to breathe.