Ten Words for Snow Trivia Quiz

Answer:

The correct words for 'snow' from this selection are 'neige', 'nieve', 'lumi', 'Schnee', 'sneeuw', 'barf', 'baraf', 'eira', 'theluji', and 'salju'.

The French and Spanish words for snow ('neige' and 'nieve') both come from the Latin word for snow ('nivem'). During the evolution from Latin to Spanish, vowel changes turned an earlier 'neve' into 'nieve'. Related Spanish words include 'nevar' meaning 'to snow', 'nevada' meaning 'snowfall', and 'nevado' meaning 'snow-covered'. In French, the Latin root evolved through Old French 'noif' and the verb 'neiger' (meaning 'to snow') to produce the modern 'neige'. Related French words are 'enneiger' meaning 'to cover with snow' and 'déneiger' meaning 'to clear snow'.

Unlike many Finnish words that were borrowed from Germanic, Baltic, or Scandinavian neighbors, 'lumi' is a native inherited word. Cognates of 'lumi' appear in several Uralic languages, including Estonian and Karelian, suggesting the word is thousands of years old. The root 'lumi' appears in several compound Finnish words, such as 'lumihiutale' (snowflake), 'lumipallo' (snowball), 'lumivyöry' (avalanche), and 'lumilauta' (snowboard).

The German word for snow ('Schnee') is derived from Old High German 'sneo', which in turn descends from Proto-Germanic '*snaiwaz'. This ancient Germanic root also produced the English word for snow as well as the Dutch word, 'sneeuw'.
Many basic Hindi words involving nature are inherited from Sanskrit, but the Hindi word for snow, 'barf', is borrowed from Persian. Hindi also preserves the Old Sanskrit word 'him' for 'snow' or 'ice', seen in words like 'Himalaya' (literally 'abode of snow'). So modern Hindi has both the Persian loanword 'barf', the everyday word for 'snow', and 'him', the ancient Sanskrit term that is more poetic and literary.

The similar Somali term for snow is 'baraf', and its history is remarkably similar to Hindi's word. It comes from Persian 'barf', borrowed from Omani Arabic into Somali as 'baraf', reflecting Somali phonology which typically prefers words that avoid ending in difficult consonant clusters.

The history of the Welsh word for snow, 'eira' (pronounced roughly AY-ra), is quite deep. 'Eira' comes from the Proto-Celtic '*argyos', meaning 'white' or 'bright'. This term ultimately traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root. Interestingly, the Welsh word 'eira' and French 'argent' are ultimately related. Ancient Indo-European speakers thought both snow and silver were notable for the same reason: their brilliant white, shining appearance. 'Eira' is a relatively common given female name in Wales.

'Theluji', the Swahili word for snow, is a borrowing from the Arabic word 'thalj'. Thousands of Arabic words entered Swahili as Arabic-speaking traders and scholars interacted with the East African coast over many centuries, particularly words related to religion, administration, trade, and unfamiliar phenomena (as snow would be in the region). As with Somali, the Arabic form ending with a consonant cluster adapted the preferred Swahili patterns of syllables ending in vowels.

'Salju' is the Indonesian word for snow, and it is also believed to derive from the Arabic word 'thalj'. This happened through centuries of contact between the Indonesian archipelago and Arabic-speakers through trade and the spread of Islam. Although most Indonesians never encounter snow firsthand, there has historically been snow and glacier ice on the highest peaks in Papua. Compound words in the Indonesian language that contain 'salju' include 'bola salju' (snowball), 'manusia salju' (snowman), and 'salju abadi' (eternal/permanent snow).

Of the words in this quiz that don't mean rain, 'viento', 'hawa', 'dabayl', and 'gwynt' all mean wind (in Spanish, Hindi, Somali, and Welsh), and 'soleil', 'zonneschijn', 'dhoop', 'mwanga wa jua' all mean sunshine (in French, Dutch, Hindi, and Swahili).