I. ˈsnō noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English snaw, snow, from Old English snāw; akin to Old High German snēo snow, Old Norse snær, snjōr, Gothic snaiws, Latin niv-, nix, Greek nipha (accusative), Lithuanian sniẽgas
1.
a. : small tabular and columnar white transparent often branched crystals of frozen water that are formed directly from the water vapor of the air at a temperature of less than 32° F and belong to the hexagonal system of crystallization
b.
(1) : a descent or shower of snow crystals : snowfall
another big snow fell the next day — Bruce Siberts
(2) : a usually consolidated mass of fallen snow crystals
play in the snow
(3) : a region or area covered with snow and often with permanent snow — usually used in plural
the high snows
2. : something resembling snow (as in whiteness, coldness, or transitoriness): as
a. : a dessert made of stiffly beaten whites of eggs, sugar, and fruit pulp
apple snow
b. : white hair — often used in plural
c. : any of various congealed or crystallized substances resembling snow in appearance
carbon dioxide snow
very finely granulated copper sulfate snow
d. slang : cocaine
e. : small transient light or dark spots on a television or radar screen resulting from the same causes as those that produce static in radio
3. : a period of time consisting of one winter with or without the accompanying seasons — used chiefly in a representation of Amerindian speech
forty snows ago
II. verb
( snowed or dialect snew ; snowed ; snowing ; snows )
Etymology: Middle English snawen, snowen, from snaw, snow, n.
intransitive verb
1. : to fall in or as snow — usually used with it
it had been snowing all day
2.
a. : to fall in the manner of snow
soot snows in my face — Isaac Rosenfeld
b. : to descend or become distributed in great quantities
telegrams began to snow on Congress — T.H.White b. 1915
transitive verb
1. : to cause to fall like or as snow
watching the rhododendron snow its petals on the dark pool — D.C.Peattie
2.
a.
(1) : to cover with or as if with snow : bury in or as if in snow — usually used with over or under
cars snowed under by drifts
(2) slang : to deceive, persuade, or charm glibly (as by the presentation of a large amount of information that is hard to check or the relation of fictitious exploits)
remembered that a Marine should “ snow ” his girl, and started telling her about his campaigns — Dan Levin
b. : to shut in or imprison with snow — used with up or in
in the hidden valleys, whole families who, snowed up, never set foot outside their houses from September to May — F.M.Ford
3. : to whiten like snow
hair snowed by age
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: modification of Dutch snauw, probably from Low German snau beak, snout, snow (vessel); akin to Middle Dutch snauwen to snap at, bite, Middle Low German snouwen to snap at, Middle High German snöuwen, snouwen to snort, snap at, and perhaps to Middle High German snūben, snūfen to snort — more at snivel
: a square-rigged ship that differs from a brig in having a trysail mast close abaft the mainmast
IV. noun
slang : heroin