snowman

Etymology

It is formed from English snow + man.^[2][3][4][5] The OED compares West Frisian snieman, German Schneemann and Danish snemand.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A mass of snow shaped into the figure of a man: 1827, in John Clare's The Shepherd's Calendar.^[2][3][6] Dictionary.com dates the word to 1820–30.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The word was first used of the figure built of snow, and also of a man dressed up to look like one.^[2] In the 20th century archaeologists used it, attributively, for a way of modelling clay figurines and for the figurines themselves (1908), and collectors for a type of pottery figure with a thick white glaze (1931).^[2][4] In Norfolk dialect a snowman was the snow bunting (1893).^[2] From 1931 it was also short for the abominable snowman.^[2][6] Merriam-Webster also records it for a person who works with snow and for a specialist in the study of snow.^[6] American slang gave it further senses: a cocaine addict or dealer, from snow cocaine (1956),^[7] and someone who snows others with smooth, persuasive talk (1967).^[2][7]

Timeline

• 1827 – a figure of a man made of snow.^[2][3][6]
• 1893 – in Norfolk dialect, the snow bunting.^[2]
• 1908 – in archaeology, a technique of clay modelling, or a figurine made with it.^[2]
• 1931 – a pottery figure with a thick white glaze; the abominable snowman.^[2]
• 1956 – US slang, a narcotics addict.^[7]
• 1967 – US slang, someone who deceives or impresses others with smooth talk.^[2][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A figure of a person made of packed snow, usually from large snowballs set on top of one another: The children gave their snowman a scarf and a carrot nose.^[8][6][9]
2. The abominable snowman, or yeti.^[6][2]
3. A person who works in or with snow, or who studies it.^[6]
4. (US slang) A person with a smooth, practised line of talk meant to impress or deceive.^[2][7]

Word family

• abominable snowman

Related words

• snow
• man
• snowball

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d e Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins