𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃

Gothic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *snaiwaz (“snow”), from Proto-Indo-European *snóygʷʰos. Cognates include Old English snāw, Old Dutch snēo, Old High German sneo, and Old Church Slavonic снѣгъ (sněgŭ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsnɛːws/

Noun

𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 • (snaiws) ?

2. (hapax) snow (precipitation)
   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Mark (Codex Argenteus) 9.3:

     𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐍅𐌰𐍃𐍄𐌾𐍉𐍃 𐌹𐍃 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐌿𐌽 𐌲𐌻𐌹𐍄𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃, 𐍈𐌴𐌹𐍄𐍉𐍃 𐍃𐍅𐌴 𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃, 𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍉𐍃 𐍃𐍅𐌴 𐍅𐌿𐌻𐌻𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃 𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌰𐌹 𐌽𐌹 𐌼𐌰𐌲 𐌲𐌰𐍈𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽.

     jah wastjōs is waurþun glitmunjandeins, ƕeitōs swē snaiws, swaleikōs swē wullareis ana airþai ni mag gaƕeitjan.

     And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. (KJV).

Declension

This word is only attested once, in the nominative singular. It may have been either an a-, i- or consonant stem of either masculine of feminine gender. The other Germanic languages support it being a masculine a-stem.

Coordinate terms

• 𐌸𐌴𐌹𐍈𐍉 (þeiƕō, “thunder”)
• 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌹 (lauhmuni, “lightning”)
• 𐌼𐌹𐌻𐌷𐌼𐌰 (milhma, “cloud”)
• 𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌽 (rign, “rain”)
• 𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌳𐍃 (winds, “wind”)
• 𐍅𐌹𐍃 (wis, “calm”)

See also

• 𐍈𐌴𐌹𐍄𐍃 (ƕeits, “white”)

Further reading

• Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910). Die gotische Bibel. Zweiter Teil: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, p. 126