Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “snowfall” come from?

Snowfall derives from English snow and English fall, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European snóygʰos and pōl-, meaning precipitation descending from the sky.

snowfall (English): An instance of falling of snow; The amount of...

Definitions

  1. An instance of falling of snow; The amount of...

Ancestry of “snowfall”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsnowThe frozen, crystalline state of water that falls...
2Middle Englishsnowsnow; snow-white; The temperature where snow...
3Old Englishsnāwsnow
4Proto-West Germanicsnaiwsnow
5Proto-Germanicsnaiwazsnow
6Proto-Indo-Europeansnóygʷʰossnow
7Proto-Indo-Europeansneygʷʰ-to snow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sneygʷʰ- →