Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “snow” come from?

Snow comes from Middle English snaw, from Old English snāw, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European sneygʰ-, a root meaning to snow or flow.

snow (English): The frozen, crystalline state of water that falls...

Definitions

  1. The frozen, crystalline state of water that falls...

Ancestry of “snow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsnowsnow; snow-white; The temperature where snow...
2Old Englishsnāwsnow
3Proto-West Germanicsnaiwsnow
4Proto-Germanicsnaiwazsnow
5Proto-Indo-Europeansnóygʷʰossnow
6Proto-Indo-Europeansneygʷʰ-to snow

Words derived from “snow”

  • snowstorm
  • snowing
  • snowfall
  • snowflake
  • snowmobile
  • snowman
  • snowmelt
  • snowdrift
  • snowshoe
  • snowpack
  • snowdrop
  • snowboard
  • snowbound
  • snowbank
  • snowmobiling
  • snowshoeing
  • snowplow
  • Snowshoe
  • snowfield
  • snowsuit
  • snowboarder
  • snowbird
  • snowmaking
  • snowclad
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sneygʷʰ- →