Snowdrift
/ˈsnoʊ.drɪft/noun
A mass of snow heaped up by wind.
Did you know?The second half comes from Old English *drifan* meaning “to drive,” so a snowdrift is literally snow that has been driven into a heap by the wind.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
snāw
“snow”
Old English
OE
drīfan
“to drive, push, urge onward”
Middle English
ME
snowe drift
“a heap or bank of snow driven together by wind”
16th Century
English
snow-drift
“a wind-formed accumulation of snow”
Modern English
English
snowdrift
“a mound or bank of snow piled up by wind”