Etymologically
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blizzard

Etymology and origin of the English word blizzard

History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈblɪz.əːd/ (UK); /ˈblɪz.ɚd/ (US)[1]

Etymology

Of uncertain origin.[2][3][4] It is an Americanism,[5][6] perhaps formed from dialectal blizz “violent rainstorm” with the suffix -ard,[5][4] or an expressive word echoing blast, blaze and bluster.[6] RHWU compares Midlands dialect blizzer and blizzom “a flash, a blaze”,[6] and the OED considers it more or less imitative.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A sharp blow or knock; also a shot or a volley of gunfire.[4][7][5]

Semantic evolution

The snowstorm sense, recorded from 1859,[4][7][5] may have begun as a figurative use of the earlier senses in the Upper Midwest,[4] and came into general use in the US during the hard winter of 1880–81.[4] It is also used of an overwhelming rush of things.[2][3][6][1]

Timeline

  • 1770 – dialectal blizz, “violent rainstorm”.[4][5]
  • 1829 – a violent blow; a hail of gunfire.[4][7][5]
  • 1859 – a snowstorm with fierce wind.[4][7][5]
  • 1870 – the first date in Merriam-Webster.[3]
  • 1880–81 – comes into general use in the US.[4]
  • 1883 – blizzarded.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A long, severe snowstorm with strong winds and very low visibility.
  2. An overwhelming amount or rush of something.

Verb

  1. To snow in blizzard conditions.

Word family

  • blizzardy
  • black blizzard

References

  1. [1] [2] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. [1] [2] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. [1] [2] [3] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. [1] [2] [3] [4] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Blizzard.” Etymologically, 7 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/blizzard. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on .