snowy
Meaning
covered with snow or characterized by snow
resembling snow, especially in whiteness
Structure
Usage
we woke up to a snowy landscape on christmas morning.
the forecast predicts a snowy weekend in the mountains.
her hair was a snowy white, even in her youth.
Etymology
the word "snowy" is a transparent english compound formed from the native germanic root "snow" and the adjectival suffix "-y". the old english noun snāw descends from the proto-germanic snaiwaz, which itself originates from the proto-indo-european root sneygʷʰ-, meaning "to snow" or "snow". the suffix "-y", from old english -ig, is a prolific denominal suffix used to form adjectives meaning "full of" or "characterized by". thus, the literal construction "full of snow" evolved seamlessly into the modern meanings describing weather conditions, landscapes, or qualities resembling snow.
Analysis
snow (from old english snāw, of proto-germanic origin, related to dutch sneeuw and german schnee, functioning as the core noun root). y (from old english -ig, a common adjective-forming suffix, of proto-germanic origin).