v. (wk.)
?‘came shivering down’
(Modern English snitter)A range of Scandinavian comparanda - which themselves do not necessarily share an origin - have been cited in connection with this word and there are at least two distinct etymologies to be considered: (1) Norw dial snitra 'to shiver with cold' is a good fit formally (TGD, followed by PS 2003n), but not for the sense of the word at Gaw 2003 (describing snow). Torp considers it a sound-symbolic formation and compares Eng. dial snitter 'suppressed laugh' and EFris snittern 'to hum, crackle', and (with different vocalism) Norw snatra 'to snort, crackle' (cp. MLG, Du snateren 'to jabber, babble', LG, Du snater 'trunk, mouth (vulgar)'), but considers as etymologically distinct (2) a group of homophonous and near-homophonous words denoting snow or cold wind. These incl. Shetl. dial snitter 'very cold weather or wind' and other formations on the same stem (see Jakobsen), Yks. dial snitter v. 'to snow' and n. 'a biting blast' (see Wright 1906: 221-2, EDD) and the slightly more remote MnE snite 'snow' (OED) and WFris snijt, snitte 'a spit or sprinkling of rain' (OED, followed by GDS), plausibly derived on the same root. The etymology of these words is difficult, but it is probably best to follow Torp, who refers Shetl. snitter to the root of Norw snid 'section' (cp. OIcel snið ‘slice’, OE (ge)snid, ‘slice, cutting; slaughter’, snide ‘incision, slaughter’, a zero-grade derivation on the root of the PGmc str. I v. *snīþan-). The nearest analogue is the by-form *snitt- with zero-grade /i/ and intensive /t/ gemination, as in OHG snizzare ‘carver’ and MHG snitzen, Ger schnitzen ‘to cut’ (see Seebold, and Kroonen s.v. *snittōn-). Thus the basic sense of cutting could very plausibly be transferred metaph. to (biting) cold weather. The only evidence in favour of ON derivation rather than a previous unattested native development is the Yks. and Sketl. distribution of snitter. (3) ME snitered could represent an independent sound-symbolic formation with no necessary connection to the comparanda discussed at (1) and (2), such as an ad hoc ‘blend’ of (the medieval reflexes of) PDE snew, sleet and scatter, perhaps for literary effect (Frankis 1983: 35) .
PGmc Ancestor
(2) *snitt-
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
(2) cp. snið (n.) ‘slice’
(ONP (2) cp. snið (sb.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
(1) Norw dial snitra; (2) Far snið, Icel snið, Norw snid, ODan snid, sned, MSw snidh, Sw dial sned
OE Cognate
Phonological and morphological markers
Summary category
DD1c
Only cited by dictionaries at Gaw 2003, c1475 Awntyrs Arth. (Tay 9) p. 4. and in an 1888 glossary of Sheffield words (OED). For possible use as a Nhb. place-name element, see DEPN and CDEPN s.vv. Snitter.
Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus
Gaw 2003
Most editors gloss the word at Gaw 2003 from context. The TGD translation ‘(snow) came shivering down’ is based partly on their suggested etymon (see etymological discussion (1) ), as is McGee's (348) ‘blew down in gusts’ or ‘stung the face’ (see etymological discussion (2) and further Wright 1906: 221–2).