snow

snow
{{11}}snow (n.) O.E. snaw "snow," from P.Gmc. *snaiwaz (Cf. O.S., O.H.G. sneo, O.Fris., M.L.G. sne, M.Du. snee, Du. sneeuw, Ger. Schnee, O.N. snjor, Goth. snaiws "snow"), from PIE root *sniegwh- "snow, to snow" (Cf. Gk. nipha, L. nix (gen. nivis), O.Ir. snechta, Welsh nyf, Lith. sniegas, O.Prus. snaygis, O.C.S. snegu, Rus. snieg', Slovak sneh "snow"). The cognate in Sanskrit, snihyati, came to mean "he gets wet." As slang for "cocaine" it is attested from 1914.
{{12}}snow (v.) c.1300, replacing O.E. sniwan, which would have yielded modern snew (which existed as a parallel form until 17c. and, in Yorkshire, even later), from the root of SNOW (Cf. snow) (n.).
Also þikke as snow þat snew,
Or al so hail þat stormes blew.
[Robert Mannyng of Brunne, transl. Wace's "Chronicle," c.1330]
The figurative sense of "overwhelm" is 1880, Amer.Eng., in phrase to snow (someone) under. Snow job "strong, persistent persuasion in a dubious cause" is World War II armed forces slang, probably from the same metaphoric image.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Snow — Snow, n. [OE. snow, snaw, AS. sn[=a]w; akin to D. sneeuw, OS. & OHG. sn[=e]o, G. schnee, Icel. sn[ae]r, snj[=o]r, snaj[=a]r, Sw. sn[ o], Dan. snee, Goth. snaiws, Lith. sn[ e]gas, Russ. snieg , Ir. & Gael. sneachd, W. nyf, L. nix, nivis, Gr. acc.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Snow — bezeichnet: das englische Wort für Schnee Snow (Fluss), einen Fluss Snow (Codec), einen Wavelet basierenden Videocodec Snow (Musiker), einen kanadischen Rapper Snow (Album), das sechste Studioalbum von Spock s Beard Snow ist der Familienname… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • SNOW (E. P.) — SNOW EDGAR PARKS (1905 1972) Durant plus d’une décennie, Edgar Snow fut sans doute le plus aventureux et le plus entreprenant des journalistes en Chine et il est indiscutablement le premier à avoir témoigné de l’importance d’une révolution en… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Snow — (en inglés nieve), puede referirse a: John Snow (1813–1858), médico inglés; John W. Snow (n. 1939), 73º secretario del Tesoro de los Estados Unidos; La Isla Snow en la Antártida; El sobrenombre de Darrin O Brien (n. 1969), músico de reggae… …   Wikipedia Español

  • snow — snow; snow·do·nian; snow·i·ly; snow·i·ness; snow·less; snow·man; snow·mo·bil·ing; snow·mo·bile; snow·mo·bil·er; snow·mo·bil·ist; …   English syllables

  • snow — [snō] n. [ME < OE snaw, akin to Ger schnee < IE base * sneigwh , to snow, * snoigwhos, snow > OIr snechta, Russ snieg, L nix (gen. nivis)] 1. particles of water vapor which when frozen in the upper air fall to earth as soft, white,… …   English World dictionary

  • snow´i|ly — snow|y «SNOH ee», adjective, snow|i|er, snow|i|est. 1. having snow: »a snowy day. 2. covered with snow: »a snowy roof …   Useful english dictionary

  • snow|y — «SNOH ee», adjective, snow|i|er, snow|i|est. 1. having snow: »a snowy day. 2. covered with snow: »a snowy roof …   Useful english dictionary

  • SNOW — 1.0 and 2.0 are two word based synchronous stream ciphers developed by Thomas Johansson and Patrik Ekdahl at Lund University. SNOW 1.0, originally simply SNOW, was submitted to the NESSIE project. The cipher has no known intellectual property or… …   Wikipedia

  • Snow — Snow, v. t. To scatter like snow; to cover with, or as with, snow. Donne. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • snow — ► NOUN 1) atmospheric water vapour frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer. 2) (snows) falls of snow. 3) a mass of flickering white spots on a television or radar screen, caused by… …   English terms dictionary

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