Snow is frozen water that falls from the clouds.
Snow is the name given to frozen water that, in a solid state, falls from the clouds due to a meteorological phenomenon. Snow is made up of frozen crystals gathered into flakes that, when descending on the Earth's surface, cover everything with a white blanket .
Determining the etymological origin of the word is simple, since it clearly comes from Latin. Specifically, it derives from nix, nivis , which, in turn, emanates from the Greek nifas . This can be translated as “snowflakes” .
falling snow
The fall of snow is known as snowfall . This phenomenon is common in many regions that are characterized by low temperatures, at least during the winter season. Snowfall, when abundant, can damage a city's infrastructure and force the interruption of daily activities.
One of the peculiarities of the crystals that make up snow is that they have a fractal structure. Fractals are geometric shapes that repeat at different scales, generating a very curious visual effect.
A tourist attraction
Many cities have snow as their main argument to attract tourism . The snow allows you to practice sports such as skiing or snowboarding , in addition to producing very picturesque landscapes.
It is common for people, on the other hand, to have fun playing snow fights (throwing snowballs at each other as entertainment) or creating dolls with frozen water. For example: “This vacation we are going to go see the snow in Patagonia,” “Mirta always waits for the ski season to start so she can travel to the Alps and enjoy the snow.”
However, as we said above, snow can also cause damage to homes, electrical wiring and telecommunications , which makes it a potential problem, especially in the most deprived regions: “A snow storm left “isolated from a mountain town in the mountain range.”
Snow is a tourist attraction and allows the development of various sports activities.
Expressions with the term snow
There are, likewise, terms of more than one word that use the one we are now analyzing, as would be the case of the following:
- Snow pit . This is a brick and stone excavation that was built with the clear objective of being able to store all the fallen snow in it so that its water could then be used in summer times, where rain is scarce.
- Snow cannon . In ski resorts, in times when there is not much snowfall, this device is usually used, which throws artificial snow onto the slopes so that sports such as skiing or snowboarding can continue.
- Snowball . This term has two different meanings. Thus, on the one hand, it is used to refer to a matter that has become excessively complicated. Meanwhile, on the other hand, it is the name with which a shrub also known as mundillo has been “baptized”, which is typical of Spain and stands out for its enormous white flowers.
Other uses of the notion
We cannot ignore either that the term snow is used with other meanings, in various corners of the planet. Thus, for example, in countries like Puerto Rico and Mexico it is used as a synonym for ice cream .
In colloquial language it is also often used as a synonym for cocaine .