Word: snow Part of Speech: noun Etymology: 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”) Pronunciation: /snəʊ̯/, /snoʊ̯/, /sno/, /snou̯/ 1. 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. Labels: uncountable Example: Snow is white, / And lieth in the dike. And every man lets it lye. Example: Didſt thou but knovv the inly touch of Loue, / Thou vvouldſt as ſoone goe kindle fire vvith ſnovv / As ſeeke to quench the fire of Loue vvith vvords. 2. 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. Labels: countable Example: We have had several heavy snows this year. Example: At Chriſtmas I no more deſire a Roſe, / Then vviſh a Snovv in Mayes nevv fangled ſhovves: / But like of each thing that in ſeaſon grovves. 3. 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. Labels: countable Example: They sang, that by his native bowers / He stood, in the last moon of flowers, / And thirty snows had not yet shed / Their glory on the warrior's head; […] Example: The path by which we twain did go, / Which led by tracts that pleased us well, / Thro' four sweet years arose and fell, / From flower to flower, from snow to snow: […] 4. 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. Labels: countable Example: VVhen VVinter ſhuts the Seas, and fleecy Snovvs / Make Houſes vvhite, ſhe to the Merchant goes: / Rich Cryſtals of the Rock She takes up there, / Huge Agat Vaſes, and old China VVare: […] Example: This River [the Rubicon] is not ſo contemptible as it is generally repreſented, and vvas much increas'd by the melting of the Snovvs vvhen [Julius] Cæſar paſs'd it, according to Lucan. 5. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: countable Example: apple snow lemon snow 6. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: uncountable Example: The daughters of the land were beautiful, with blue eyes and fair hair, and bosoms of snow, […] 7. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: A scent of pine-wood from a tent-like pile of planks outside the open door mingled itself with the scent of the elder-bushes which were spreading their summer snow close to the open window opposite; […] 8. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: Near-synonym: static Example: I took my TV over on the first trip. I got a beauty. It's four years old, color, but when I had a little snow and asked the repairman to come in, he told me never, never turn this set in for a new one. They don't make them like this anymore, he said. He got rid of the snow and all he charged me was two dollars. 9. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable 10. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: Indeed, to the laſt days of her life, my Lady Viſcounteſs had the comfort of fancying herſelf beautiful, and perſiſted in blooming up to the very midſt of winter, painting roſes on her cheeks long after their natural ſeaſon, and attiring herſelf like ſummer though her head was covered with ſnow. 11. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: countable, figuratively, poetic, uncountable Example: Ere now marmoreal floods had spread their couch / Of perdurable snow, or granite wrought / Its skyward impulse from earth's hearth of fire / Up to insanest heights. 12. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: countable, figuratively, slang, uncountable 13. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: countable, dated, figuratively, slang, uncountable 14. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Clad in a coldsuit Jael trudged through a thin layer of CO₂ snow towards the gates of the Arena. 15. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, countable, uncountable Example: Lower down, in the 95 per cent of the ocean where light does not penetrate, many living things feed on ‘marine snow’, the steady drizzle of particles of dead matter, whitish in colour, gradually sinking from the euphotic zone above. Other animals then feed on the ‘snow’ eaters. 16. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: slang, uncountable Example: Aren’t I telling you that’s why I didn’t taste it? […] Besides, if it wasn’t poison, it might be ‘snow’ or something. 17. Something resembling snow (etymology 1, noun sense 1) in appearance or color. Labels: countable, slang, uncommon, uncountable