*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of snow

The noun is derived from Middle English snaw, snou, snow (“snow; accumulation of snow; snowfall; snowstorm; whiteness”), from Old English snāw (“snow”), from Proto-West Germanic *snaiw (“snow”), from Proto-Germanic *snai

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

Preceded by the dummy subject it: to have snow (noun etymology 1, noun sense 1) fall from the atmosphere. · Of a thing: to fall like snow. · To cause (something) to fall like snow. · To cover or scatter (a place or thing) with, or as if with, snow.

adj

Done because the alternate outcome is very unlikely to pass.

noun

The partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes; also, the falling of such flakes; and the accumulation of them on the ground or on objects as a white layer. · An instance of the falling of snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1); a snowfall; also, a snowstorm. · A period of time when snow falls; a winter. · An accumulation or spread of snow.

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

The noun is derived from Middle English snaw, snou, snow (“snow; accumulation of snow; snowfall; snowstorm; whiteness”), from Old English snāw (“snow”), from Proto-West Germanic *snaiw (“snow”), from Proto-Germanic *snaiwaz (“snow”), from Proto-Indo-European *snóygʷʰos (“snow”), from *sneygʷʰ- (“to snow”). The verb is derived from Middle English snouen (“to snow; (figurative) to shower”), from snou, snow (noun) (see above) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs). Displaced Old English snīwan, whence English snew (obsolete). Verb etymology 1, verb sense 2.3.2 (“to convince or hoodwink (someone)”) probably refers to a person being blinded or confused by a snowstorm. The adjective comes from the phrase a snowball's chance in hell, also see snowball clause at Wikipedia. Cognates * Scots snaw (“snow”) * Yola sneew, sneow, snow, snowe (“snow”) * North Frisian Sne, sni, snii, snii'e, snä, snäi (“snow”) * Saterland Frisian Snee (“snow”) * West Frisian snie (“snow”) * Alemannic German schnee, schnei, schnia, schné, schnìj (“snow”) * Bavarian schnea, sghneab (“snow”) * Cimbrian snea, snèa (“snow”) * Dutch snee, sneeuw (“snow”) * German Schnee (“snow”) * Limburgish Schnië, snieë (“snow”) * Luxembourgish Schnéi (“snow”) * Mòcheno schnea (“snow”) * Vilamovian śnej, šnej, śnyi (“snow”) * Yiddish שניי (shney, “snow”) * Danish sne (“snow”) * Elfdalian sniųo (“snow”) * Faroese snjógvur (“snow”) * Icelandic snjár, snjór, snær (“snow”) * Norwegian Bokmål sne, snø (“snow”) * Norwegian Nynorsk snjo, snø (“snow”) * Swedish snö (“snow”) * Gothic 𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (snaiws, “snow”) * Irish sneachta (“snow”) * Manx sniaghtey (“snow”) * Scottish Gaelic sneachd, sneachda (“snow”) * Welsh nyf (“snow”) * Latin nix (“snow”) * Ancient Greek νίψ (níps, “snow”) * Latvian snìegs (“snow”) * Lithuanian sniẽgas (“snow”) * Belarusian, Russian, and Macedonian снег (sneg, “snow”) * Bulgarian сняг (snjag, “snow”) * Czech sníh (“snow”) * Polish śnieg, śmiég (“snow”) * Serbo-Croatian сне̑г, сније̑г, snȇg, snig, snijȇg (“snow”) * Slovak sneh (“snow”) * Slovene sneg (“snow”) * Ukrainian сніг (snih, “snow”) * Shughni жиниҷ (žiniǰ, “snow”) * Avestan 𐬯𐬥𐬀𐬉𐬲𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 (snaēžaⁱti, “to snow”) * Sanskrit स्नेह (snéha, “grease, oil”)

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 17 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "senseno",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Q7561"
      },
      "expansion": "etymology 1, noun sense 1"
    },
    {
      "name": "senseno",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Q7561"
      },
      "expansion": "etymology 1, noun sense 1"
    },
    {
      "name": "senseno",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Q7561"
      },
      "expansion": "etymology 1, noun sense 1"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:snow",
        "id": "frozen water"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*snaiwaz\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*snaiw\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"snāw\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"snow\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"snow\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"frozen water\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"snow\" id=\"English:_frozen_water\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "noun"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "snaw"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English snaw"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "snāw",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English snāw (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*snaiw",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *snaiw (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*snaiwaz",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *snaiwaz (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "¹"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*snóygʷʰos",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *snóygʷʰos (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "verb"
      },
      "expansion": "verb"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "snouen",
        "t": "to snow; (figurative) to shower"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English snouen (“to snow; (figurative) to shower”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "suffix"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "infinitive"
      },
      "expansion": "infinitive"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "Displaced"
      },
      "expansion": "Displaced"
    },
    {
      "name": "ncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "snīwan",
        "3": "",
        "t": "",
        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": "",
        "id": "",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Old English snīwan"
    },
    {
      "name": "displaced",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "snīwan"
      },
      "expansion": "Displaced Old English snīwan"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "snew"
      },
      "expansion": "English snew"
    },
    {
      "name": "qualifier",
      "args": {
        "1": "obsolete"
      },
      "expansion": "(obsolete)"
    },
    {
      "name": "senseno",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hoodwink"
      },
      "expansion": "etymology 1, verb sense 2.3.2"
    },
    {
      "name": "col-top",
      "args": {
        "1": "2",
        "2": "cog"
      },
      "expansion": "Cognates"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "snaw",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots snaw (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "yol",
        "2": "sneew"
      },
      "expansion": "Yola sneew"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "frr",
        "2": "Sne"
      },
      "expansion": "North Frisian Sne"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Snee",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Snee (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "snie",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian snie (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gsw",
        "2": "schnee"
      },
      "expansion": "Alemannic German schnee"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "bar",
        "2": "schnea"
      },
      "expansion": "Bavarian schnea"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cim",
        "2": "snea"
      },
      "expansion": "Cimbrian snea"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "snee"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch snee"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Schnee",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "German Schnee (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "li",
        "2": "Schnië"
      },
      "expansion": "Limburgish Schnië"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lb",
        "2": "Schnéi",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Luxembourgish Schnéi (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "mhn",
        "2": "schnea",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Mòcheno schnea (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "wym",
        "2": "śnej"
      },
      "expansion": "Vilamovian śnej"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "yi",
        "2": "שניי",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Yiddish שניי (shney, “snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "sne",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish sne (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ovd",
        "2": "sniųo",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Elfdalian sniųo (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo",
        "2": "snjógvur",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese snjógvur (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "snjár"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic snjár"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nb",
        "2": "sne"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Bokmål sne"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nn",
        "2": "snjo"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Nynorsk snjo"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "snö",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish snö (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "got",
        "2": "𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Gothic 𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (snaiws, “snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ga",
        "2": "sneachta",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish sneachta (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gv",
        "2": "sniaghtey",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Manx sniaghtey (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gd",
        "2": "sneachd"
      },
      "expansion": "Scottish Gaelic sneachd"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cy",
        "2": "nyf",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Welsh nyf (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "nix",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin nix (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "νίψ",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek νίψ (níps, “snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lv",
        "2": "snìegs",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Latvian snìegs (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lt",
        "2": "sniẽgas",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Lithuanian sniẽgas (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "be,ru,mk",
        "2": "снег",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Belarusian, Russian, and Macedonian снег (sneg, “snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "bg",
        "2": "сняг",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Bulgarian сняг (snjag, “snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cs",
        "2": "sníh",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Czech sníh (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "pl",
        "2": "śnieg"
      },
      "expansion": "Polish śnieg"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sh",
        "2": "сне̑г"
      },
      "expansion": "Serbo-Croatian сне̑г"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sk",
        "2": "sneh",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Slovak sneh (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sl",
        "2": "sneg",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Slovene sneg (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "uk",
        "2": "сніг",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Ukrainian сніг (snih, “snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sgh",
        "2": "жиниҷ",
        "t": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Shughni жиниҷ (žiniǰ, “snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ae",
        "2": "𐬯𐬥𐬀𐬉𐬲𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌",
        "t": "to snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Avestan 𐬯𐬥𐬀𐬉𐬲𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 (snaēžaⁱti, “to snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sa",
        "2": "स्नेह",
        "tr": "snéha",
        "t": "grease, oil"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit स्नेह (snéha, “grease, oil”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:snow",
        "id": "frozen water"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "snaw",
      "snaw#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "snou",
      "snou#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "snow",
      "snow#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "snāw",
      "snaw#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*snaiw",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/snaiw"
    ],
    [
      "*snaiwaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/snaiwaz"
    ],
    [
      "*snóygʷʰos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/snóygʷʰos"
    ],
    [
      "*sneygʷʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/sneygʷʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "snouen",
      "snouen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "snou",
      "snou#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "snow",
      "snow#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-en",
      "-en#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "snīwan",
      "sniwan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "snew",
      "snew#English"
    ],
    [
      "a snowball's chance in hell",
      "a snowball's chance in hell#English"
    ],
    [
      "snaw",
      "snaw#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "sneew",
      "sneew#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "sneow",
      "sneow#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "snow",
      "snow#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "snowe",
      "snowe#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "Sne",
      "Sne#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "sni",
      "sni#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "snii",
      "snii#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "snii'e",
      "snii'e#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "snä",
      "snä#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "snäi",
      "snäi#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "Snee",
      "Snee#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "snie",
      "snie#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "schnee",
      "schnee#Alemannic_German"
    ],
    [
      "schnei",
      "schnei#Alemannic_German"
    ],
    [
      "schnia",
      "schnia#Alemannic_German"
    ],
    [
      "schné",
      "schné#Alemannic_German"
    ],
    [
      "schnìj",
      "schnìj#Alemannic_German"
    ],
    [
      "schnea",
      "schnea#Bavarian"
    ],
    [
      "sghneab",
      "sghneab#Bavarian"
    ],
    [
      "snea",
      "snea#Cimbrian"
    ],
    [
      "snèa",
      "snèa#Cimbrian"
    ],
    [
      "snee",
      "snee#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "sneeuw",
      "sneeuw#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Schnee",
      "Schnee#German"
    ],
    [
      "Schnië",
      "Schnië#Limburgish"
    ],
    [
      "snieë",
      "snieë#Limburgish"
    ],
    [
      "Schnéi",
      "Schnéi#Luxembourgish"
    ],
    [
      "schnea",
      "schnea#Mòcheno"
    ],
    [
      "śnej",
      "śnej#Vilamovian"
    ],
    [
      "šnej",
      "šnej#Vilamovian"
    ],
    [
      "śnyi",
      "śnyi#Vilamovian"
    ],
    [
      "שניי",
      "שניי#Yiddish"
    ],
    [
      "sne",
      "sne#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "sniųo",
      "sniųo#Elfdalian"
    ],
    [
      "snjógvur",
      "snjógvur#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "snjár",
      "snjár#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "snjór",
      "snjór#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "snær",
      "snær#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "sne",
      "sne#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "snø",
      "snø#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "snjo",
      "snjo#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "snø",
      "snø#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "snö",
      "snö#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃",
      "𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃#Gothic"
    ],
    [
      "sneachta",
      "sneachta#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "sniaghtey",
      "sniaghtey#Manx"
    ],
    [
      "sneachd",
      "sneachd#Scottish_Gaelic"
    ],
    [
      "sneachda",
      "sneachda#Scottish_Gaelic"
    ],
    [
      "nyf",
      "nyf#Welsh"
    ],
    [
      "nix",
      "nix#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "νίψ",
      "νίψ#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "snìegs",
      "sniegs#Latvian"
    ],
    [
      "sniẽgas",
      "sniegas#Lithuanian"
    ],
    [
      "Belarusian",
      "снег#Belarusian"
    ],
    [
      "Russian",
      "снег#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "снег",
      "снег#Macedonian"
    ],
    [
      "сняг",
      "сняг#Bulgarian"
    ],
    [
      "sníh",
      "sníh#Czech"
    ],
    [
      "śnieg",
      "śnieg#Polish"
    ],
    [
      "śmiég",
      "śmiég#Polish"
    ],
    [
      "сне̑г",
      "снег#Serbo-Croatian"
    ],
    [
      "сније̑г",
      "снијег#Serbo-Croatian"
    ],
    [
      "snȇg",
      "sneg#Serbo-Croatian"
    ],
    [
      "snig",
      "snig#Serbo-Croatian"
    ],
    [
      "snijȇg",
      "snijeg#Serbo-Croatian"
    ],
    [
      "sneh",
      "sneh#Slovak"
    ],
    [
      "sneg",
      "sneg#Slovene"
    ],
    [
      "сніг",
      "сніг#Ukrainian"
    ],
    [
      "жиниҷ",
      "жиниҷ#Shughni"
    ],
    [
      "𐬯𐬥𐬀𐬉𐬲𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌",
      "𐬯𐬥𐬀𐬉𐬲𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌#Avestan"
    ],
    [
      "स्नेह",
      "स्नेह#Sanskrit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "Preceded by the dummy subject it: to have snow (noun etymology 1, noun sense 1) fall from the atmosphere.",
        "Of a thing: to fall like snow.",
        "To cause (something) to fall like snow.",
        "To cover or scatter (a place or thing) with, or as if with, snow."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "impersonal",
        "intransitive",
        "also",
        "figuratively",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "31904a1da3d2507e498e3d9012619f1942f2695f152766778ec8e3c7cb5237f7",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 39103
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Done because the alternate outcome is very unlikely to pass."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "6f92eb6e8a82501aa9ee131e4daefdfcc50126467489671ea931f6c14a3d5767",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f4dfb9a104a3df51c1c08254d3cc6b3a37b1e2aca89ee192e6e9dc3ead1903f6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 39104
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes; also, the falling of such flakes; and the accumulation of them on the ground or on objects as a white layer.",
        "An instance of the falling of snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1); a snowfall; also, a snowstorm.",
        "A period of time when snow falls; a winter.",
        "An accumulation or spread of snow."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "countable"
      ],
      "recordId": "c820b51bd54f8e4c69b01c705377f253840d3742e8560d8a7d77b0d92bd6fcb8",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f71dd3186bf429a5061c22e8baf4317a061850fbb5bba9338530f5127df1dffc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 39102
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 17,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A square-rigged sailing vessel similar to a brig formerly used as a warship, with a foremast, a mainmast, and a trysail mast immediately abaft (behind) the mainmast.

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

Borrowed from Dutch snauw, snaauw, or Low German snau; further etymology uncertain, possibly from Low German snau (“beak”), related to Middle Low German snute (“snout”) (whence English snout), from Proto-West Germanic *snūt (“snout”), from Proto-Germanic *snūtaz (“snout”), possibly imitative.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionsnauwnl
  • Borrowed-form mentionsnaunds
  • Cognate mentionsnaunds · beak
  • Derivation mentionsnutegml · snout
  • Cognate mentionsnouten
  • Derivation mention*snūtgmw-pro · snout
  • Inherited-form mention*snūtazgem-pro · snout
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ref",
      "args": {
        "1": "From the collection of the National Maritime Museum in London, England, United Kingdom.",
        "group": "n",
        "name": "n1"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "snauw"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch snauw"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nds",
        "3": "snau"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German snau"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "2"
      },
      "expansion": "²"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "snau",
        "t": "beak"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German snau (“beak”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "snute",
        "t": "snout"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German snute (“snout”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "snout"
      },
      "expansion": "English snout"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*snūt",
        "t": "snout"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *snūt (“snout”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*snūtaz",
        "t": "snout"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *snūtaz (“snout”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "imitative"
      },
      "expansion": "imitative"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "snauw",
      "snauw#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "snaauw",
      "snaauw#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "snau",
      "snau#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "snau",
      "snau#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "snute",
      "snute#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "snout",
      "snout#English"
    ],
    [
      "*snūt",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/snūt"
    ],
    [
      "*snūtaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/snūtaz"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A square-rigged sailing vessel similar to a brig formerly used as a warship, with a foremast, a mainmast, and a trysail mast immediately abaft (behind) the mainmast."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "e8d58e20a79be4b9554d9e18d77b5e4418118e7f7db497dae601fc2a9ed595e8",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b2db9a7841fed60da324069af3895f8b6655c3a20cc386d2c3d5a8a2114db818",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 39105
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 snow →

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
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c25vdw