*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of snew

From Middle English snewen, from Old English snīwan (“to snow”), from Proto-Germanic *snīwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sneygʷʰ-.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To snow. · To abound.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English snewen, from Old English snīwan (“to snow”), from Proto-Germanic *snīwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sneygʷʰ-.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "snewen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English snewen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "sniwan",
        "4": "snīwan",
        "5": "to snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English snīwan (“to snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*snīwaną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *snīwaną"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*sneygʷʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *sneygʷʰ-"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "snewen",
      "snewen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "snīwan",
      "sniwan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*snīwaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/snīwaną"
    ],
    [
      "*sneygʷʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/sneygʷʰ-"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To snow.",
        "To abound."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "8b62768bbd868fbd9cc36d28abd188881fa73e2bb4dcb43d5e920b77c5574f8c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4d36258fc3eaac075fbb818d614dc195ebf3d7d9716290bef78aec8bc0b80eb6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1679854
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

simple past of snow

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

See snow.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "snow",
      "snow#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "simple past of snow"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal",
        "form-of",
        "past"
      ],
      "recordId": "beb527a119345fd8d5eb368cae73ab5dfa90027154d5569451cb90c597fba1b3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d87793d3abf72c0a387cbb3638609b3dfb63760b735baecb4d705b0bcb189fe8",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1679855
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for snew →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c25ldw