Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “snore” come from?

Snore comes from Middle English snoren, from Old English fnora, from Proto-Indo-European pnew-, a root expressing nasal breathing sounds.

snore (English): To breathe during sleep with harsh, snorting...

Definitions

  1. To breathe during sleep with harsh, snorting...

Ancestry of “snore”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsnorento snore
2Middle EnglishfnorenAlternative form of snoren; to snore loudly;...
3Middle EnglishsnoreAlternative form of snoren; snorting
4Old Englishfnoraa sneeze; sneezing
5Proto-West Germanic*fnoʀō—
6Proto-Germanicfnuzô—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpnew-to pant, breathe

Words derived from “snore”

  • snorer
  • snorest
  • outsnore
  • antisnore
  • snore-fest
  • snoreth
  • snorasaurus
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pnew- →