snowfall

Etymology

It is a compound from English snow + fall.^[2][3][4] The OED compares German Schneefall, Swedish snöfall and Old Norse snjófall.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A fall of snow, especially a quiet one as distinguished from a snowstorm: 1815 in Etymonline.^[3] Dictionary.com dates the word to 1815–25, Merriam-Webster to 1821, and the OED's first quotation is from 1821, in W. C. Wells's essay on dew.^[4][5][2]

Semantic evolution

From a single fall of snow, or the quantity falling in a given time, the word came to be used in meteorology for the amount of snow that falls at a particular place, from 1875.^[2][3][6] The OED also records figurative use.^[2]

Timeline

• 1815 – a fall of snow.^[3] The OED dates this sense to 1821.^[2][5]
• 1875 – the amount of snow falling at a particular place.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A fall of snow: A light snowfall dusted the hills overnight.^[6][5][2]
2. (meteorology) The amount of snow that falls in a given place over a given period.^[6][5][2]

Related words

• snow
• fall
• snowstorm
• rainfall
• snowdrift

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins