snows

English

Etymology

From snow +‎ -s (suffix forming pluralia tantum and regular plurals of nouns; and the third-person singular indicative present tense of verbs).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /snəʊz/, [snəʊ̯z]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /snoʊz/, [snoʊ̯z]
• Rhymes: -əʊz

Noun

snows pl (plural only)

1. One or both regions of the Earth where it snows the year round; the Arctic and/or Antarctic.
   • 1844 February 7 (date delivered), Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Young American: A Lecture Read before the Mercantile Library Association, in Boston, at the Odeon, Wednesday, February 7, 1844, London: John Chapman, […], published 1844, →OCLC, page 10:

     To men legislating for the vast area betwixt the two oceans, betwixt the snows and the tropics, somewhat of the gravity and grandeur of nature will infuse itself into the code.

2. (informal) Clipping of snow tires.

   You’d better be wearing your snows next week.

   • 1984 April 7, “Classified advertisement”, in Gay Community News, page 15:

     74 VW dyke mobile, 75K miles. Immac in/out & great to drive. No rust! Includes roofrack, snows, manual.

3. (poetic, dated) A woman's pale-coloured breasts.

Translations

clipping of snow tires — see snow tires

Noun

snows

1. plural of snow

   The snows in Alaska are quite different from the snows here.

Verb

snows

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of snow