Where does “snowfight” come from?
snowfight (English) comes from English snow, from Middle English snow, from Old English snāw, from Proto-West Germanic snaiw, from Proto-Germanic snaiwaz, from Proto-Indo-European snóygʷʰos, from Proto-Indo-European sneygʷʰ- — to snow.
snowfight (English): A fight involving snow; a snowball fight
Definitions
- A fight involving snow; a snowball fight
Ancestry of “snowfight”, step by step
snowfight traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English snow
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | snow | The frozen, crystalline state of water that falls... |
| 2 | Middle English | snow | snow; snow-white; The temperature where snow... |
| 3 | Old English | snāw | snow |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | snaiw | snow |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | snaiwaz | snow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | snóygʷʰos | snow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sneygʷʰ- | to snow |
via English fight
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fight | To contend in physical conflict, either singly or... |
| 2 | Middle English | fighten | Simple past faght and past participle foghten... |
| 3 | Old English | feohtan | to fight |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | fehtan | to fight |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fehtaną | to comb, detangle |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | peḱ- | to pluck; livestock; wealth |