A violent storm with heavy falling snow, strong winds, and poor visibility that makes travel difficult and dangerous.
Compound word combining 'snow' (from Old English 'snaw') and 'storm' (from Old Norse 'stormr'). The compound form emerged in English around the 1600s as people needed specific vocabulary for the intense winter weather of northern climates.
English borrowed 'storm' from the Norse and 'snow' from Germanic roots—two separate words that came together to name something that was especially dangerous and important to people living in harsh climates. Geography shaped our vocabulary!
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