Etymograph

English

afterdamp

From after- + damp.

Formed from after- + damp

Proto-Germanic *dampaz

Old English damp

Middle English dampen ‘to stifle’

English damp

Today it means

noun Suffocating gases present in a coal mine after an explosion caused by firedamp, consisting of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and sometimes hydrogen sulfide.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / afterdamp