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snippen

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Etymology and origin of the Dutch word snippen

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Onomatopoeia
First attested
1546 More words from the 16th century
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Dutch snippen
English snip
From the same root
English snippet ← snip

Forms

Regionally also sneppen.[1]

Etymology

The EWN dates ⟨snippen⟩ “to cut or chop into pieces” to 1546 and thinks it probably sound-imitative.[2] It sets beside it Low German snippen (“to snip”), German schnippen (“to make a snipping sound, snap one's fingers”) and English snip (“to snip”).[2] The WNT compares Old High German sniffen and Middle High German snipfen (“to cast down the eyes”), and thinks snijden may also be related further back.[1] The derivatives snipperen and snippelen are frequentatives of it, and snipper “scrap” was shortened from older ⟨snipperling⟩, which was derived from it with -ling.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, of 1546, has the sense “cut or chop into small pieces”.[2]

Semantic evolution

The WNT gives the senses “cut into small pieces”, “make incisions in”, recorded in 1642 of a plant named for its ghesnipte bladeren “notched leaves”.[1] From 1657 it is used of wind and cold that cut or lash the face.[1] By the time of the WNT the word was only regional.[1]

English snip, recorded from the 1550s as a noun for a small piece of cloth cut off, probably came from Dutch or Low German snippen.[3] Van der Sijs lists English snip “cut, clip”, also a soft stroke in cricket, among the words borrowed from Dutch.[4]

Timeline

  • 1546 – Snippen “cut into pieces” is first recorded.[2]
  • 1550s – English snip “small piece cut off” is first recorded.[3]
  • 1642 – Ghesnipte bladeren “notched leaves” is recorded.[1]
  • 1657 – The verb is used of a cutting wind.[1]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (regional) To cut into small pieces, to shred.[1][4]
  2. (regional) To make cuts in, to notch.[1]
  3. (regional) Of wind or cold: to cut, lash.[1]

Word family

  • snip
  • snipper
  • snipperen
  • snijden

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
  3. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
Cite this entry

“Snippen.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/nl/snippen. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·