sny
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, US) enPR: snī, IPA(key): /snaɪ/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - Rhymes: -aɪ
- (UK) enPR: snī, IPA(key): /snʌɪ/
Etymology 1
From a derivative of Proto-Germanic *snīkaną (“to crawl, creep”), similar to modern sneak. First attested in late Middle English; from Middle English snyȝe (“creep”); compare Danish snige (“sneak”).
Verb
sny (third-person singular simple present snies, present participle snying, simple past and past participle snied)
References
- “† Sny, v.” listed on page 343 of volume IX, part I (Si–St) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles [1st ed., 1919]
† Sny, v. Obs. — 1 In 5 snyȝe. [Of obscure origin.] intr. To move, proceed. [¶] a 1400–50 Alexander 4095 Þan snyȝes þar, out of þat snyth hill.., A burly best. - “†sny, v.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd ed., 1989]
Etymology 2
First attested in 1674; its etymology is unknown. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Alternative forms
Verb
sny (third-person singular simple present snies, present participle snying, simple past and past participle snied)
- (now dialectal, intransitive) Abound, swarm, teem, be infested, with something.
- 1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “chapter 4”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC:
- “And did you kill it?”
“I did, for they’re a nuisance. The place is fair snied wi’ ‛em.”
References
- “Sny, v.” listed on page 343 of volume IX, part I (Si–St) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles [1st ed., 1919]
Sny (snəi), v. Now dial. Forms: 7 snithe, 9 snive; 7, 9 snie, 8–9 sny, 9 snye; 7, 9 snee. [Of obscure origin.] intr. To abound, swarm, teem, be infested, with something. [¶] 1674 Ray N.C. Words 44 To Snee or snie, to abound or swarm. He snies with Lice, he swarms with them. 1675 V. Alsop Anti-sozzo 503 Certainly never did man so snithe with prejudices against Truth. c 1746 J. Collier (Tim Bobbin) View Lanc. Dial. Gloss., Snye, to swarm. 1849 Howitt Year Bk. Country 242/32 The villages in the forest sny with children. 1882 Echo 16 Jan. 4/1 The place literally ‘snives’ with rabbits. 1897 J. Prior Ripple & Flood xix, The watter snies wi’ fish. - “sny, v.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd ed., 1989]
Etymology 3
First attested in 1711; its etymology is unknown; perhaps from Proto-Germanic *snōwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sneh₁- (“to wind; twist; braid; plait”). Compare snying and the Danish sno (“to twine”, “to twist”).
Noun
sny (plural snies)
References
- “Sny, sb.” listed on page 343 of volume IX, part I (Si–St) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles [1st ed., 1919]
Sny (snəi), sb. Shipbuilding. [Cf. Snying vbl. sb.] (See quots. 1846 and 1875.) [¶] a. 1711 W. Sutherland Shipbuild. Assist. 54 In working up a round Buttock of a Ship, the lower Edge of the Planks will have a sudden Sny aft. 1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 288 In shipbuilding, a plank is said to have sny, when its edge has an upward curve. [¶] b. c 1850 Rudim. Nav. (Weale) 149 The great sny occasioned in full bows..is..to be prevented by introducing steelers. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 2232/1 Sny,..the trend of the lines of a ship upward from amidship toward the bow and the stern. - “sny, n.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd ed., 1989]
Etymology 4
First attested with this spelling in 1893; see snye.
Noun
sny (plural snies)
- (archaic) A small channel of water.
- 1893, Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad, Tom Sawyer, Detective and Other Stories (1896), page unknown
- “Well, Mars Tom, my idea is like dis. It ain’t no use, we can’t kill dem po’ strangers dat ain’t doin’ us no harm, till we’ve had practice — I knows it perfectly well, Mars Tom — ‛deed I knows it perfectly well. But ef we takes a’ ax or two, jist you en me en Huck, en slips acrost de river to-night arter de moon’s gone down, en kills dat sick fam’ly dat’s over on the Sny, en burns dey house down, en —”
- 1948, Lawrence Johnstone Burpee, editor, Canadian Geographical Journal, volume 36, Royal Canadian Geographical Society, page 151:
- The word snye, sny or snie has been used for many years to describe a channel behind an island, with slack current or partly dried, or some such similar feature.
- 1893, Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad, Tom Sawyer, Detective and Other Stories (1896), page unknown
References
- “snye” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd ed., 1989]
Czech
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈsnɪ]
Anagrams
Polish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /snɨ/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɨ
- Syllabification: sny