(stī′fəl) v. ·fled, ·fling v.t.
1. To kill by stopping respiration; suffocate; choke.
2. To keep back; suppress or repress, as sobs.
—v.i.
3. To die of suffocation.
4. To experience difficulty in breathing, as in a stuffy room. [<ON stīfla stop up, choke]
—sti′·fler noun
—sti′fling adjective
—sti′fling·ly adverb

(stī′fəl) noun
1. The stifle joint.
2. Any abnormal condition of the stifle joint or stifle bone. [Origin unknown]