Halloween has come and gone. Christmas decorations festively decorate the stores while politically the War on Christmas ramps up its intensity. All of this means that winter is coming. With this in mind, let’s explore the etymology of some winter words. I would suggest that this exploration is improved while sitting in front of a nice fire with a cup of hot chocolate.
Winter:
The modern English word “winter” comes from the Old English “winter” whose plural is “wintru.” Going back farther in time, the origin of “winter” can be found in the Proto-Germanic “*wintruz” meaning “the wet season” which was derived from the Proto-Indo-European “*wend-” whose root “wed-” meaning “water, wet.”
There are some etymologists who feel that “winter” is based on the Proto-Indo-European “*wind-” meaning “white.” Winter is, following this line of reasoning, the white season.
Anglo-Saxons, by the way, counted years in terms of winters.
Snow:
In some parts of the world, winter is associated with snow. The modern English word “snow” comes from the Old English “snaw” which not only meant “snow,” but was also used for “snowfall and snowstorm.” The Old English “snaw” evolved from the Proto-Germanic “*snaiwaz” which came from the Proto-Indo-European root “*sniegwh-”.
In American English, the concept of “snowbird” first appeared in 1923 as a way of describing northerners who went into the South to work during the winter months. In more recent years, the word has been used to describe a semi-nomadic pattern for retirees who spend the summers in the north and the winters in warmer climates.
In 1952, Americans added the word “snow tire” to their vocabulary.
While American Indians first invented snowshoes a long time prior to the European invasion, the word “snowshoe” is first recorded in English in the 1670s.
The word “snowmobile” first entered into English in 1931 was used in reference to Admiral Byrd’s expedition.
Slush:
Some of us live in areas where we not only have to deal with snow, but also slush. The word “slush” in reference to “melting snow, snow and water” appears to have come into English from a Scandinavian source, perhaps from the Norwegian and Swedish “slask” or the obsolete Danish “slus” which means “sleet.” The word “slush” first appeared in the 1640s.
Some etymologists feel that the word “slush” may have originated in imitation of the sound of splashing.
The concept of “slush fund,” by the way, does not come from the snowy version of slush, but rather from a nautical concept: slush refers to grease that is the by-product of cooking in a ship’s galley. A slush fund, therefore, is based on the allusion of greasing someone’s palm with money.
Avalanche:
For those of us who live in the Northern Rocky Mountains, the noun “avalanche” is a part of our winter vocabulary. The word “avalanche” came into English in 1763 from the French “avalanche” which was borrowed from the Romansch “avalantze” meaning “descent.” The Romansch may have been influenced by the Old French verb “avaler” meaning “to descend, go down.”
Romansch is a Romance language which is spoken in the Swiss Alps. The people in this area, like those of us living in the Rockies of North America, are familiar with snow sliding down the mountainside.
Blizzard:
The standard etymological history of the word "blizzard" meaning “a strong, sustained snowstorm” is that it came into English in 1859 and in American English it came into general use after the winter of 1880-81. The origins of the word are unknown, but linguists tend to feel that it does not have a French origin.
There are, however, some other possibilities which etymologists have explored. There is one tradition that claims that “blizzard” originated in Iowa. The first citation of this word in Iowa appeared on April 23, 1870 in the Northern Vindicator, a newspaper in Estherville, Iowa. In June of that year, the local baseball team also adopted the name Blizzards. According to the local Estherville tradition, the word “blizzard” was first used by Lightin’ Ellis who had a habit of using some interesting language.
The legendary etymologist Allen Walker Read went to Iowa in 1926 to see if he could verify the Iowa origins of “blizzard.” His findings, published in 1928, found considerable evidence supporting the claim.
In 1932, the Kansas Historical Quarterly published a diary which had been maintained by an army captain at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The diary seemed to indicate that the term “blizzard” first emerged in 1859-1861 (dates often given by many etymologies for the first appearance of the word.) However, it seems that the captain revised his diary in 1905 and so we cannot be certain if “blizzard” was in the original or if it was inserted later.
The word “blizzard” was used prior to the Iowa snow storm of 1870, but it had the meaning of “a blast from a gun, particularly a shotgun” and for a verbal blast of words. This use of “blizzard” is recorded twice in the writings of Davy Crockett.
In 1770, the word “blizz” was used in reference to a violent rainstorm, but etymologists have been unable to connect this word to the origins of “blizzard.”
There are also claims the “Blizzard” was originally a surname. According to this version, a Mother Wells of Spencer, Iowa supposedly read a story about a violent tempered Mr. Blizzard in her Free Baptist paper. Following a snowstorm in 1866, she is said to have remarked “My, this is a regular old man Blizzard of a storm.” This account is generally dismissed as being rather fanciful.
Note: In etymologies, the * indicates that the Proto-Indo-European or prehistoric word has been reconstructed by historical linguists.