snowflake
UK[ˈsnəʊfleɪk]US[ˈsnoʊfleɪk]
n
a single, small, soft piece of frozen water that falls from the sky as snow.
n
(informal, often derogatory) a person who is perceived as overly sensitive, easily offended, or lacking resilience.
Morpheme Breakdown
snow
flake
snow
frozen precipitation
flake
a small, flat, thin piece
Etymology
the word "snowflake" is a transparent compound formed from two native english elements. "snow" descends from proto-germanic "snaiwaz", which itself originates from the proto-indo-european root "sniegwh-", meaning "to snow". the second element, "flake", comes from middle english, likely of germanic origin, related to old norse "flak" meaning "loose or torn piece". the literal combination, "a small piece of snow", has been in use since the 16th century to describe the intricate crystalline form. the modern figurative sense, referring to a person considered unique and overly fragile, emerged in the late 20th century, drawing a metaphorical link between the uniqueness and delicacy of each ice crystal and perceived individual sensitivity.
Analysis
Structure: snow + flake
snow: from old english "snāw", meaning "frozen precipitation". functional role: the base noun denoting the substance.
flake: from middle english "flake", meaning "a small, flat, thin piece". functional role: the modifying noun, specifying a single piece of the substance.
Examples
each snowflake has a unique six-sided pattern.
the children caught snowflakes on their tongues.
he was dismissed as a snowflake for complaining about the challenging course material.