sneachta

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish snechtae, from Proto-Indo-European *snígʷʰs.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈʃnʲaxt̪ˠə], [ˈʃnʲãxt̪ˠə]
(Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): [ˈʃnʲæːxt̪ˠə]

Noun

sneachta m (genitive singular sneachta, nominative plural sneachtaí)

snow (precipitation)
Níorbh iontaí liom an sneachta dearg ná é. ― Nothing would surprise me more. (literally, “Red snow would not be more surprising to me than that.”)

Declension

Declension of sneachta

Fourth declension

Bare forms

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	sneachta	sneachtaí
Vocative	a shneachta	a shneachtaí
Genitive	sneachta	sneachtaí
Dative	sneachta	sneachtaí

Forms with the definite article

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	an sneachta	na sneachtaí
Genitive	an tsneachta	na sneachtaí
Dative	leis an sneachta don sneachta	leis na sneachtaí

Derived terms

ar ghile an tsneachta, chomh geal le sneachta (“as white as snow”)
blár sneachta (“snow-field, expanse of snow”)
braillín sneachta (“covering of snow”)
bratóg shneachta f, calóg shneachta f, fíneog shneachta f, lóipín sneachta m, lubhóg shneachta f (“snowflake”)
brat sneachta (“mantle of snow”)
bróg shneachta f (“snowshoe”)
brúcht sneachta (“sudden heavy fall of snow”)
cáitheadh sneachta (“whirling snow-flakes, fall of snow”)
cáithnín sneachta m, cloch shneachta f (“hailstone”)
céachta sneachta m (“snow-plough”)
cith sneachta (“shower of snow”)
dairt sneachta (“(cast of) snowball”)
dealramh an tsneachta (“the glare of the snow”)
deargán sneachta m (“red-wing”)
duartan sneachta (“heavy fall of snow”)
fear sneachta m (“snowman”)
fras sneachta (“shower of snow”)
fuacht sneachta (“cold presaging snow”)
garbhóg shneachta f (“large hailstone”)
geadán sneachta (“patch of snow”)
gealóg shneachta f (“snow bunting”)
liopard sneachta m (“snow leopard”)
maidhm shneachta f (“avalanche”)
mar an sneachta séidte (“like driven snow”)
méadar sneachta (“snow gauge”)
meall sneachta (“snowball”)
meall sneachta m (“snowball”)
muc shneachta f (“snowdrift; large snowball”)
plúchadh sneachta (“heavy fall of snow”)
plúirín sneachta m (“snowdrop”)
ráth sneachta m (“snowdrift”)
scáil sneachta (“snow-blink”)
scráib shneachta (“shower of snow”)
séideán sneachta (“wind-blown snow-shower”)
síobadh sneachta m (“blizzard”)
síob shneachta (“driven snow”)
sleamhnán sneachta (“snow-slide”)
sneachta briosc (“dry, crunchy, snow”)
sneachtach, sneachtaí, sneachtúil (“snowy”, adjective)
sneachta gléigeal (“pure-white snow”)
sneachta síobtha (“driven snow”)
sní sneachta (“fall of snow”)
titim sneachta (“fall of snow”)
troighean sneachta (“covering of (melting) snow”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
sneachta	shneachta after an, tsneachta	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

"sneachta" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
“snechta” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.