Snuffle
/ˈsnʌf.əl/noun
To breathe through the nose in a noisy or obstructed way, or to sniff repeatedly.
Did you know?Snuffle is one of those wonderfully onomatopoeic words whose shape imitates the sound it describes, and its earliest history is tied to noisy nasal breathing rather than any hidden magical ritual.
Etymological Timeline
Modern English
English
snuffle
“To breathe or sound through the nose noisily; to sniff repeatedly.”
16th–17th Century
English
snufflen
“To breathe noisily through the nose; to sniff.”
Middle English
English
snuf
“A sniff or snuffing sound, especially from the nose.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*snūfaną
“To snuff, sniff, or breathe noisily through the nose.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sneu-
“To breathe, blow, or sniff.”