english snow words jonathan david bobaljik posted message vol 51276 list discusses various yup ik words snow contributed anthony woodbury sake comparison list 9 10 english words snow snowlike things thought would useful find whether english words means _ primarily _ snow whether snow sense derived figurative otherwise secondary consulted various editions oxford english dictionary results follows acceptable cases 1 snow good english word respectable pedigree means primarily snow 2 sleet also good way eskimo term corresponding 3 slush also good 4 avalanche word seems referred snow avalanches beginning 5 blizzard first edition oed says modern word applied nowsquall word became general american newspapers severe winter 188081 according _ milwaukee republican _ ff 4 march 1881 applied _ northern vindicator _ esthersville iowa 1860 1870 apparently colloquial use west much earlier latest edition oed citation 1859 b doubtful cases 1 cornice really architectural term meaning crown building use refer type snow formation merely figurative 2 firn certainly rare specialized word oed marks naturalized synonym _ n ev e _ marked way would accept neither 3 drift meaning nowdrift word attested c 1300 castel quitter es pan snau drif clearly many related senses offcourse movement boat gist someone saying drift related drive compare bobaljik discussion yup ik _ natquik _ rifting snow 4 flurry word means primarily gust quall washington irving cited 1836 talking flurries snow cases flurries rain birds conclusion primarily snow word 5 sinkhole bobaljik rejects _ muruaneq _ oft deep snow offering sinkhole roughly comparable presumably also unacceptable 20 sinkhole oed understanding sinkhole depression liquid collects especially ground think anything snow per se c special case 1 frost left frost english list since frozen dew ice snow also omitted rime hoarfrost hoar figurative old age accordingly urge words frost omitted eskimo lists conclusion count 5 good english words whose primary meanings snow forms snow bobaljik also allows 5 exclusively snowrelated simple roots yup ik excluding frost explained specialist english etymology experienced using oed _ muruaneq _ oft deep snow really purely snow word bobaljik says would also like know eskimo languages yup ik snowwords recorded detail david prager branner yuen ren society asian do21 university washington seattle wa 98195 09 09 09 09 charmii u washington edu