sniegs

From Proto-Baltic (or Proto-Balto-Slavic[1]) *snaigas (> Latvian *snaigs, which, under the influence of forms of the verb snigt (“to snow”), became sniegs; compare Lithuanian snaĩgė (“snowflake”), still with the original ai), from Proto-Indo-European *snóygʷʰos, from the stem *sneygʷʰ- (“to snow”).

Cognates include Lithuanian sniẽgas, Old Prussian snaygis, Old Church Slavonic снѣгъ (sněgŭ), Russian снег (sneg), Ukrainian сніг (snih), Bulgarian сняг (snjag), Czech sníh, Polish śnieg, Proto-Germanic *snēwes, *snaiwaz (Gothic 𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (snaiws), Old English snāw, Old High German snēo, German Schnee, Dutch sneeuw, English snow, Swedish snö), Old Irish snechtae, Ancient Greek νίφα (nípha, “snow (acc.)”), Latin nix (Italian, Portuguese neve, Spanish nieve, Catalan neu, Romanian nea).[2]

• IPA^(key): [snìɛks]

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sniegs m (1st declension)

1. snow (frozen water that falls as precipitation)

   sniegs snieg ― it is snowing (lit. the snow snows)

   sniega pārslas, kristāli ― snowflakes, snow crystals

   sniega ūdens, sniegūdens ― snow water

   sniega vīrs, sniegavīrs ― snowman

   sniega vētra ― snow storm

   smalks, dziļš, irdens sniegs ― fine, deep, snow

   slapjš, sauss, irdens sniegs ― wet, dry, powedery snow

   sniega kupena ― snow drift

   sniegs sāk kust ― the snow begins to melt

   sniega lāpsta ― snow shovel

   tīrīt sniegu no ceļa ― to clean, remove the snow from the road

   balts kā sniegs ― white as snow

• sniega arkls
• sniegavīrs, sniega vīrs
• sniegbalts
• sniegputenis