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Snow

[snoh]

noun

Meteorology. a precipitation in the form of ice crystals, mainly of intricately branched, hexagonal form and often agglomerated into snowflakes, formed directly from the freezing of the water vapor in the air. Compare ice crystals, snow grains, snow pellets.

these flakes as forming a layer on the ground or other surface.

the fall of these flakes or a storm during which these flakes fall.

something resembling a layer of these flakes in whiteness, softness, or the like: the snow of fresh linen.

Literary.

white blossoms.

the white color of snow.

EXPAND

Slang. cocaine or heroin.

white spots or bands on a television screen caused by a weak signal. Compare hash¹ (def. 5).

COLLAPSE

verb (used without object)

to send down snow; fall as snow.

to descend like snow.

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Snow is always a great word to know.

So is whiteout. Does it mean:

fog caused by the movement of warm, moist air over a cold surface

a condition in which uniform illumination from snow on the ground and from a low cloud layer makes features of the landscape indistinguishable

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verb (used with object)

10.

to let fall as or like snow.

11.

Slang.

to make an overwhelming impression on: The view really snowed them.

to persuade or deceive: She was snowed into believing everything.

Verb phrase

12.

snow under,

to cover with or bury in snow.

to overwhelm with a larger amount of something than can be conveniently dealt with.

to defeat overwhelmingly.

Origin:
before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English snāw; cognate with Dutch sneeuw, German Schnee, Old Norse snǣr, Gothic snaiws, Latin nix (genitive nivis), Greek níps (accusative nípha), OCS sněgŭ; (v.) Middle English snowen, derivative of the noun; replacing Middle English snewen, Old English snīwan; cognate with Old High German snīwan (German schneien), Middle Low German, Middle Dutch snīen

Related forms

snow·less, adjective

snow·like, adjective

Example Sentences

These were not bitter-enders hoping to eke out runs on a thin swatch of snow.

Snow crystals sting my face and coat my beard and the ruff of my parka.

Imagine: herds of hadrosaurs trudging across the plain as snow falls, while a tyrannosaur stalks them from a distance.

EXPAND

These were not bitter-enders hoping to eke out runs on a thin swatch of snow.

Snow crystals sting my face and coat my beard and the ruff of my parka.

Imagine: herds of hadrosaurs trudging across the plain as snow falls, while a tyrannosaur stalks them from a distance.

Skip the snow cave, and check into a stylish winter perch.

The main excuse for running this blog post is the joy of watching football in the snow.

The doughty predator is dwindling, thanks seemingly to less snow as a result of global warming.

Two black dots appeared in the distance, barely visible through swirling snow.

Cloud-borne bacteria may be to blame for rain, snow and hail because they affect the way water molecules bind.

All of the snow and chilly temps this winter almost convinced us that global warming isn't happening, after all.

Roofs are collapsing under record snow loads that are not melting, gathering until the structures can no longer bear the weight.

You'll need a snow shovel, some warm clothes, and a car that can withstand the snow.

The action takes place on a single winter evening in rooms as frigid as the surrounding snow.

When a giant snow storm blows through the demolition site, the wrecking crew has its work cut out for them.

Paleontologists have uncovered the skull of a species of rhino that came equipped with a built-in snow shovel on its face.

When snow covers the garden, as it has recently in much of the country, it works both for and against the plants you're growing.

Push the excess snow into the joints between blocks, sealing any holes or cracks.

Laws in several states require motorists to clean ice and snow off all exposed surfaces of vehicles before they start rolling.

And if you're living in the north, you get the heinous lake-effect snow as well.

Snow on top of the ice insulates it and slows melting.

Sagebrush slopes and mountain forest openings, often near melting snow.

The studies revealed that millions of years ago, penguins, snow seals and koalas ruled the earth.

Tender scallops and crunchy snow peas take a quick turn in the wok before mixing with piles of noodles in this lightning quick.

Giant snow blowers inhale the slushy stuff and blast it onto the metal frames.

Snow tubing, once a homegrown sport, is quickly becoming a ski-resort staple.

On the higher mountaintops, this precipitation falls as heavy snow that remains until early summer.

When the snow is deep, you can jump off the roof of your house into a drift.

The holy grail of winter gravity is the ski or snowboard that flourishes in all kinds of terrain and in every snow condition.

There was a little snow on the ground which added a dramatic appearance.

Last evening's storm has feathered the trail and surrounding forest with snow.

The snow is coming down, the wind is finding its way in through even the tiniest gaps in your clothing, and it is.

These same people also walked uphill through the snow to school every day, and uphill through the snow back home.

Unseasonal snow over the past couple of weeks has blocked roads, shut airports, closed.

Winter's frigid temperatures may chill the bones, but snow and ice lend a magical air to almost any landscape.

Likewise, some seals will eat snow to get fresh water.

Or the ephemeral artistry of pine marten tracks imprinted in newly fallen snow.

Torrential rain and even snow is nothing to a versatile velomobile.

Of course, the mountains are buried in snow at the moment.

Most of the polar regions are covered in snow and ice, which are much more reflective than soil or ocean.

Ice sheets form when more snow falls in winter than can melt in summer.

When the cables get whacked by an especially strong rain or snow storm the insulation may not block all of the moisture.

The pair hugged, snapped some evidentiary photographs and buried offerings in the snow.

The blinds open to unveil a view of a foothill ridge dusted with snow.

Small increases in winter air temperature, the research found, reduce the amount of snow falling in mountains.

It is solemn without being depressing: acres of tall, narrow evergreens, covered in snow.

She was scared of heights, and too claustrophobic to make snow tunnels to her radio huts.

Rather, it's the idea of being cozy despite snow and cold.

Global warming would result in more snow on glaciers, and falling sea level.

If snow is threatening, you may find yourself sharing a cable car with a farmer and his cows as they take the easy way down.

On even the hottest summer day, you'll find a refreshing breeze and snow patches big enough for a slushball ambush.

Rocker construction lets you navigate both fresh snow and chop with ease.

The debris, too difficult to reach, was quickly covered by snow and eventually entombed by ice.

The barn stands at attention, its walls planted in moonlit snow and its peak nosing toward a deep blue sky.

Select plants with foliage that looks as if it's dusted with snow.

Some animals coordinate their look with the seasons, shedding dark fur or molting dark feathers once the snow flies.

We stand admiring the falling fake snow and flashing lasers.

As the snow melts, a crust of dirt forms over the snow.

Thanksgiving dinners and snow days made sure of that.

Mild-climate gardeners needn't pine for snow in winter.

But they caution that a tree with tinsel or fake snow spray cannot be recycled.

Snow falls at the poles and then the snow spreads outward.

Pretty soon, he graduated to owls, snow geese and herons.

Rake the thatch that harbors snow mold out of the lawn, then spray turf with a fungicide.

They can even tolerate snow and temperatures under freezing.

But the sled's joints are still loosely bound to allow it to move flexibly over irregularities in the snow and ice.

Pick the delicate tendrils and tender new stalks from shelling, snap, or snow pea plants.

The snow vaporizes though before hitting the ground.

Pronghorns survive harsh winters on the barest intake of sage leaves they paw from the snow.

I've harvested it after sweeping the snow aside, and it was wonderful.

Higher elevations, of course, are prone to snow and ice in the winter.

Fully evergreen in mild-winter climates and nearly so in harsh winters where there's no snow cover.

Wood is brittle and may break under a heavy load of snow.

Short branches hold up well under heavy snow add to my plant list.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

Sir Charles Percy (C. P. Snow), 1905–80, English novelist and scientist.

Origin:
1665–75

Link To Snow

Collins

World English Dictionary

snow (snəʊ)

—n
1.	precipitation from clouds in the form of flakes of ice crystals formed in the upper atmosphereRelated: niveous
2.	a layer of snowflakes on the ground
3.	a fall of such precipitation
4.	anything resembling snow in whiteness, softness, etc
5.	the random pattern of white spots on a television or radar screen, produced by noise in the receiver and occurring when the signal is weak or absent
6.	slang cocaine
7.	See carbon dioxide snow

—vb (often with it as subject)
8.	(intr; with it as subject) to be the case that snow is falling
9.	(tr; usually passive, foll by over, under, in, or up) to cover or confine with a heavy fall of snow
10.	to fall or cause to fall as or like snow
11.	slang (US), (Canadian) (tr) See snow job to deceive or overwhelm with elaborate often insincere talk
12.	be snowed under to be overwhelmed, esp with paperwork

Related: niveous

[Old English snāw; related to Old Norse snjōr, Gothic snaiws, Old High German snēo, Greek nipha]

'snowless

—*adj*

'snowlike

—*adj*

Snow (snəʊ)

—n
	C(harles) P(ercy), Baron. 1905--80, British novelist and physicist. His novels include the series Strangers and Brothers (1949--70)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

snow

O.E. snaw "snow," from P.Gmc. *snaiwaz (cf. O.S., O.H.G. sneo, O.Fris., M.L.G. sne, M.Du. snee, Du. sneeuw, Ger. Schnee, O.N. snjor, Goth. snaiws "snow"), from PIE *sniegwh-/*snoigwho- (cf. Gk. nipha, L. nix (gen. nivis), O.Ir. snechta, Welsh nyf, Lith. sniegas, O.Prus. snaygis, O.C.S. snegu, Rus. snieg',

EXPAND

Slovak sneh "snow"). The cognate in Skt., snihyati, came to mean "he gets wet." As slang for "cocaine" it is attested from 1914. Snowshoe first recorded 1674; snowflake is 1734; snowplow is from 1792, first mentioned in a New Hampshire context; snowman is from 1827; snowmobile first attested 1931, in ref. to Admiral Byrd's expedition.

snow

c.1300, replacing O.E. sniwan, which would have yielded modern snew (which existed as a parallel form until 17c. and, in Yorkshire, even later), from the root of snow (n.).

"Also þikke as snow þat snew,
Or al so hail þat stormes blew."
[Robert Mannyng of Brunne, transl. Wace's "Chronicle," c.1330]

The figurative sense of "overwhelm" is 1880, Amer.Eng., in phrase to snow (someone) under. Snow job "strong, persistent persuasion in a dubious cause" is World War II armed forces slang, probably from the same metaphoric image.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

snow (snō) Pronunciation Key
Precipitation that falls to earth in the form of ice crystals that have complex branched hexagonal patterns. Snow usually falls from stratus and stratocumulus clouds, but it can also fall from cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds.

Slang Dictionary

snow definition

n.
deceitful talk; deception. : All I heard for an hour was snow. Now, what's the truth?
tv.
to attempt to deceive someone. (See also snowed.) : You can try to snow me if you want, but I'm onto your tricks.
n.
and snowball; snowflakes; snow stuff. a powdered or crystalline narcotic: morphine, heroin, or cocaine. (Now almost always the latter.) : The price of snow stuff has come down a lot as South America exports more of it.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

Easton

Bible Dictionary

Snow definition

Common in Palestine in winter (Ps. 147:16). The snow on the tops of the Lebanon range is almost always within view throughout the whole year. The word is frequently used figuratively by the sacred writers (Job 24:19; Ps. 51:7; 68:14; Isa. 1:18). It is mentioned only once in the historical books (2 Sam. 23:20). It was "carried to Tyre, Sidon, and Damascus as a luxury, and labourers sweltering in the hot harvest-fields used it for the purpose of cooling the water which they drank (Prov. 25:13; Jer. 18:14). No doubt Herod Antipas, at his feasts in Tiberias, enjoyed also from this very source the modern luxury of ice-water."

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

snow

In addition to the idioms beginning with snow, also see pure as the driven snow.