Etymologically
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sniper

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 18:44. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • US: /ˈsnaɪ.pɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English snipe + -er,[2][3][4] from the verb meaning to shoot at people one at a time from cover, recorded from 1782 in the OED, but from 1773, among British soldiers in India, in Etymonline.[2][4] The verb comes from the noun, the bird, which was a hard target and a test of a shooter's skill.[4] The bird's name is of Scandinavian origin according to Merriam-Webster, and of doubtful origin according to the OED, which compares Icelandic mýrisnípa, Dutch snip and German Schnepfe.[5][2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who shoots from concealment; a sharpshooter: 1824, in the East India Military Calendar.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline quotes a sporting calendar of 1818 on snipe shooting as a good trial of a gunner's skill, the background of the military word.[4] Other uses followed from other senses of snipe: a snipe-shooter (1840),[2] in the United States a prospector for gold (1902), one who works abandoned claims,[2][5] and in logging a worker who cuts a bevel on a log (1905).[2][5] In Australian slang a sniper was a non-union worker, from 1937 in Green's Dictionary of Slang, which explains that he "shoots down" available work.[6][3] In American slang it was also one who picks up cigar ends from the gutter (1921) and, around 2000, one who puts up illegal posters.[6]

Timeline

  • 1824 – one who shoots from concealment, a sharpshooter.[2][4]
  • 1840 – a snipe-shooter.[2]
  • 1902 – US, a prospector for gold.[2]
  • 1905 – logging, one who cuts a bevel on a log.[2]
  • 1921 – US slang, one who picks up cigar ends.[6]
  • 1937 – Australian slang, a non-union worker.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A marksman, especially a soldier, who shoots at individual people from a hidden position, often at long range: A sniper covered the road from the church tower.
  2. (US) A prospector who works abandoned claims.
  3. (logging) A worker who bevels the ends of logs so they can be dragged.
  4. (Australian slang) A non-union worker.

Word family

  • countersniper
  • sniperscope
  • snipe
  • guttersnipe

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com