snow

Etymology 1

From Middle English snow, snaw, from Old English snāw (“snow”), from Proto-West Germanic *snaiw, from Proto-Germanic *snaiwaz (“snow”), from Proto-Indo-European *snóygʷʰos (“snow”), from the root *sneygʷʰ-. Cognate with Scots snaw (“snow”), West Frisian snie (“snow”), Dutch sneeuw (“snow”), German Schnee (“snow”), Danish sne (“snow”), Norwegian snø (“snow”), Swedish snö (“snow”), Icelandic snjór (“snow”), Latin nix (“snow”), Russian снег (sneg), Ancient Greek νίφα (nípha), dialectal Albanian nehë (“place where the snow melts”), Sanskrit स्नेह (snéha, “oil, grease”).

noun

1. (uncountable) The frozen, crystalline state of water that falls as precipitation.
   The wind had dropped, and the snow, tired of rushing around in circles trying to catch itself up, now fluttered gently down until it found a place on which to rest. 1928, A. A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner
   TRUE FACT: On June 8, 1995, Glacier National Park was closed because of too much snow. 2004, George Carlin, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, New York: Hyperion Books, →OCLC, →OL, page 261
2. (uncountable) Any similar frozen form of a gas or liquid.
   Clad in a coldsuit Jael trudged through a thin layer of CO₂ snow ... 2008, Neal Asher, Alien Archaeology
3. (countable) A snowfall; a blanket of frozen, crystalline water.
   We have had several heavy snows this year.
4. (uncountable) A shade of the color white.
   snow:
5. (uncountable) The moving pattern of random dots displayed on a television, etc., when no transmission signal is being received.
6. (uncountable, slang) Cocaine.
   Besides, if it wasn't poison, it might be 'snow' or something. 1930, Dorothy L. Sayers, Strong Poison
7. marine snow
   Lower down, in the 95 percent of the ocean where light does not penetrate, many living things feed on 'marine snow', the steady drizzle of particles of dead matter, whitish in colour, gradually sinking from the euphotic zone above. Other animals then feed on the 'snow' eaters. 2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, page 286

verb

1. (impersonal) To have snow fall from the sky.
   It is snowing.
   It started to snow.
2. (colloquial) To hoodwink someone, especially by presenting confusing information.
   Having passed them in review, I concluded that the best thing would be to try to snow him a little, so I said that I had heard many marvelous reports about the Wariri. 1958, Saul Bellow, Henderson the Rain King
3. (poker) To bluff in draw poker by refusing to draw any cards.

Etymology 2

From Low German Snaue, or Dutch snaauw, from Low German Snau (“a snout, a beak”). See snout.

noun

1. (nautical, historical) A two-masted, square-rigged vessel, trysail-mast stepped immediately abaft the main mast.
   A Snow of 120 Tons, and 48 Men,[…]Mounting 12 Carriage Guns, besides Swivels. 1763, Sir Stephen Janssen, 4th Baronet, Smuggling Laid Open