Where does “snowpack” come from?

snowpack (English) comes from English pack, from Middle English pakken, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos — adjectival suffix.

snowpack (English): An accumulation of packed snow, usually the...

Definitions

  1. An accumulation of packed snow, usually the...

Ancestry of “snowpack”, step by step

snowpack traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English pack

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpackA bundle made up and prepared to be carried;...
2Middle EnglishpakkenTo pack; to put into a pack or container; To...
3Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
4Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
5Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
6Proto-Norse-īna-—
7Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
8Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
9Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

via English snow

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 -no- →Every word from Middle English -en →Every word from Proto-Germanic -īnaz →