νείφει

Frisk Etymological English

Grammatical information: v.
Meaning: it snows (Il.).
Other forms: Aor. νεῖψαι, νειφθῆναι, fut. νείψει. Cf. νίφ-α f. acc. sg. (falling) snow (Hes. Op. 535).
Compounds: Sometimes with prefix, e.g. κατα-. Compp., e.g. νιφ-ό-βολος snow-covered (Ar., E.), ἀγά-ννιφ-ος with much snow (A 420, Σ 186, Epich.; Sommer Nominalkomp. 64).
Derivatives: 1. νιφ-άδες pl., also sg. νιφ-άς, -άδος f. snow-flake, snowstorm (Il., Pi., trag.), as adj. rich in snow (S.); 2. νιφ-ετός m. falling snow, snowstorm (Il., Arist.; Schwyzer 501, Fraenkel Nom. ag. 1, 51 n.1; to be rejected Porzig Satzinhalte 245) with νιφετ-ώδης connected with snow-fall (Arist., Plb.); -- 3. νιφ-όεις snowy, rich in snow (Il.; on the formation Debrunner Ἀντίδωρον 28 f.).
Origin: IE [Indo-European] [974] *sneigʷʰ- snow
Etymology: The high-grade thematic root-present νείφει (νιφέμεν M 280 wrong for νειφ-; Wackernagel Unt. 75), from which the other Greek verbal forms come, agrees with Av. snaēža- (e.g. subj. snaēžāt̃), OHG OE snīwan, Lith. sniẽg-a, -ti, perh. also Lat. nivit (only Pacuv., prob. ī), IE *sneigʷʰ-(eti it snows; beside it with zero grade, also thematic, OIr. snigid it drops, rains (on the meaning below). A nasal present is found in Lat. ninguit = Lith. sniñga (: νείφει like linquō : λείπω, s.v.). Further, in meaning deviating, the zero-grade Skt. yotpresent sníhyati gets wet, sticky, metaph. finds affection, with sneha- stickyness, affection etc., with a shift of meaning from the mild climate as in Celtic (s. above); comparable in Greek, e.g. Nonn. D. 22, 283 αἵματι νείφεις of sticky blood, Lyc. 876 ὀμβρία νιφάς of rain-shower. Diff. Benveniste Μνήμης χάριν 1, 35 ff.: orig. meaning of IE *sneigʷʰ- clot (together); thus Gonda KZ 72, 228 ff. One traces of the meaning snow in Mind. (Prākr. siṇeha- snow etc.) Turner BSOAS 18, 449ff. and 19, 375; s. Mayrhofer A.I.O.N. 1, 235). The noun acc. νίφ-α (nom. νιφετός, νιφάς, χιών; cf. Schwyzer 584) is identical with Lat. nix, nivis; IE *snigʷʰ-s (ἀγά-ννιφ-ος < *-snigʷʰ-); with dental enlargement (cf. νιφετός, but not identical) OIr. snechte snow; here prob. also νίβα χιόνα H. as Illyrian, Krahe IF 58, 133. Besides the o-stem IE *snoigʷho-s in Germ., e.g. Goth. snaiws, NHG Schnee, Slav., e.g. OCS sněgъ a.o. -- More forms in WP. 2, 695, Pok. 974, W.-Hofmann s. ninguit etc.