The word 'strangling' is built upon the verb 'strangle', which entered English via Old French from the Latin verb 'strangulare', meaning to choke or throttle. This Latin term is itself a borrowing from the Greek 'strangalan', a derivative of 'strangalē' meaning a halter or noose, and 'strangos' meaning twisted. The core semantic thread from Greek to Latin to modern English consistently involves constriction around the throat. The addition of the Old English agentive/action suffix '-ing' transforms the verb into a noun that specifically denotes the act or process of killing by throttling, a meaning which later extended metaphorically to the suppression of abstract entities like freedom or growth.

Structure: strangl(e) (to choke) + ing (noun suffix) - strangl(e): From the English verb 'strangle', itself from Old French 'estrangler', from Latin 'strangulare' (to choke, throttle). Its functional role is the core verbal root. - ing: A suffix of Old English origin, used to form nouns from verbs, indicating the action or process.