Word: snap Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Middle Dutch snappen Dutch snappenbor. Low German snappenbor. English snap From Dutch snappen (“to bite; seize”) or Low German snappen (“to bite; seize”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *snappōn, from Proto-Germanic *snappōną (“to snap; snatch; chatter”), intensive form of *snapāną (”to snap; grab”, whence Old Norse snapa (“to get; scrounge”)), from Proto-Indo-European *snop-; compare Lithuanian snãpas (“beak, bill”). (One alternative hypothesis links the Germanic words to *snu-, an expressive root deriving words meaning “nose”, “snout”, “sniff” etc., but this is phonetically unsound.) In any case influenced by onomatopoeia; note expressions such as snip-snap, containing the formally unrelated snip. Cognate with West Frisian snappe (“to get; catch; snap”), German schnappen (“to grab”), Swedish snappa (“to snatch”). The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /snæp/ 1. A quick breaking or cracking sound or the action of producing such a sound. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. A sudden break. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. An attempt to seize, bite, attack, or grab. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. The act of snapping the fingers; making a sound by pressing a finger against the thumb and suddenly releasing to strike the hand. Labels: countable, uncountable 5. A fastening device that makes a snapping sound when used. Labels: countable, uncountable 6. A photograph; a snapshot. Labels: countable, informal, uncountable Example: We took a few snaps of the old church before moving on. 7. The sudden release of something held under pressure or tension. Labels: countable, uncountable 8. A thin circular cookie or similar baked good. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: a ginger snap 9. A brief, sudden period of a certain weather; used primarily in the phrase cold snap. Labels: countable, uncountable 10. A very short period of time (figuratively, the time taken to snap one's fingers), or a task that can be accomplished in such a period. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: It'll be a snap to get that finished. Example: I can fix most vacuum cleaners in a snap. 11. A snap bean such as Phaseolus vulgaris. Labels: countable, uncountable 12. A backward pass or handoff of a football from its position on the ground that puts the ball in play; a hike. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: According to Pro Football Focus, Simmons, listed at 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, played at least 100 snaps at five positions — slot cornerback, edge rusher, linebacker and both safety spots — and finished with 16½ tackles for a loss, eight sacks, eight pass deflections and three interceptions. 13. A rivet: a scrapbooking embellishment. Labels: colloquial, countable, uncountable 14. A small device resembling a safety pin, used to attach the bait or lure to the line. Labels: countable, uncountable 15. A small meal, a snack; lunch. Labels: UK, countable, regional, uncountable Example: When I went to put my coat on at snap time, what should go runnin' up my arm but a mouse. 16. A card game, primarily for children, in which players cry "snap" to claim pairs of matching cards as they are turned up. Labels: uncountable 17. A greedy fellow. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable Example: up rises a Cunning Snap, then at the Board, who desir'd to be Inform'd 18. That which is, or may be, snapped up; something bitten off, seized, or obtained by a single quick movement; hence, a bite, morsel, or fragment; a scrap. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: He's a nimble fellow, / And alike skill'd in every liberal science, / As having certain snaps of all. 19. Briskness; vigour; energy; decision. Labels: countable, uncountable 20. Any circumstance out of which money may be made or an advantage gained. used primarily in the phrase soft snap. Labels: archaic, countable, slang, uncountable Example: A Sea Soldier is certaine of victuals and wages, where the Land Soldiers pay will hardly find him sustenance. A Sea Soldier may now and than chaunce to haue a snapp at a bootie or a price, which may in an instant make him a fortune […] Example: The Profs they lead a jolly life, jolly life, / They're free from every care and strife, care and strife. / They make the studes, poor studes fall into line; / I wish the Profs' soft snap were mine. 21. Something that is easy or effortless. Labels: countable, slang, uncountable Example: I’m afraid my course is regarded as a ‘snap.’ Everybody, it seems, can grasp English literature (and produce it). Example: The job was a snap. I travelled the country averaging a thousand miles a week and, since the previous incumbent had been a lazy bugger, managed to treble the business. It was a cinch. 22. A snapper, or snap beetle. Labels: countable, uncountable 23. jounce (the fourth derivative of the position vector with respect to time), followed by crackle and pop Labels: countable, humorous, uncountable 24. A quick offhand shot with a firearm; a snap shot. Labels: countable, uncountable 25. Something of no value. Labels: colloquial, countable, uncountable Example: not worth a snap 26. Alternative letter-case form of Snap. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: By April 2014, over 700 million snaps are shared per day on Snapchat — more than Facebook, WhatsApp, and other social networks. Example: The oldest snaps will be deleted after 24 hours, and to keep the story going you'll have to add new content regularly. 27. Alternative letter-case form of Snap. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, colloquial, countable, uncountable Example: “[…] What’s your snap?” she asks. “Oh here.” He jerks for his phone not trying to test her patience or invitation. They trade info. “Cool,” she comments and memorizes his username. Example: In addition to compliments (“that’s hot!”) and direct propositions (“please post a full frontal shot”), commenters often leave invitations on users’ posts to direct message them (“DM me!”), follow their account (“follow me”) or exchange usernames for the ephemeral social messaging service, Snapchat (“snap: @readyforyou”, “what’s your snap?”). 28. A package provided for the application sandboxing system snapd developed by Canonical. Labels: countable, uncountable 29. A crisp or pithy quality; epigrammatic point or force. Labels: uncountable 30. A tool used by riveters. Labels: countable, uncountable 31. A tool used by glass-moulders. Labels: countable, uncountable 32. A brief theatrical engagement. Labels: countable, dated, slang, uncountable 33. A cheat or sharper. Labels: countable, dated, slang, uncountable 34. A newsflash. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: A 'snap' usually becomes a 'newsflash' on air. Keep snaps short, only run them when news is really 'hot', and try not to break a story within a few minutes of the bulletin unless it is top priority. 35. An insult of the kind used in the African-American verbal game of the dozens. Labels: countable, slang, uncountable Example: […] black communities, this “snap” or example of the “dozens” (the clever form of insult also known as signifying and dissin') appears: “Your father's so black that when he falls down, people hop over him for fear of falling in.” Example: The subcategory of snaps or rankouts often follows the formula of “Your mother's like——; she——,” or “Your mother's so——, she——.” Examples are “Your mother's like a door-knob; everyone gets a turn” and “Your mother's so low, she could play handball on the curb.” 36. A subgenre of hip-hop music derived from crunk. Labels: uncountable Example: Snap is another music style that came out of Atlanta. Snap is an early- to mid-2000s hip hop style derived from crunk.