Snowflake
/ˈsnoʊ.fleɪk/noun
A small flake or crystal of frozen precipitation that falls from the atmosphere.
Did you know?Wilson Bentley photographed more than 5,000 individual snowflakes, helping establish that their intricate six-sided forms arise from ice crystallization rather than conscious design.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sniegwh-
“Snow; the reconstructed ancient root behind several words for snow.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*snaiwaz
“Snow.”
Old English
Old English
snāw
“Snow.”
Old Norse
Old Norse
flak
“A flake, splinter, or small flat fragment.”
14th Century
Middle English
flak / flake
“A thin, flat piece or fragment.”
17th Century
English
snowflake
“A flake of falling snow; later, an individual snow crystal.”