Blogging about paddling in winter isn’t easy! Luckily, spring is in the air, with temps above zero every day and lots of sunshine! Snow is melting like mad, and melt-water is flowing wherever it can. The snow is wet, sticky, and heavy. I would know; I went snowshoeing the other day, and each foot weighed 10 lbs when even a little snow collected on top! Very heavy snow!
Isn’t it funny how many words for snow we have. I have so many, I wonder if I’m part Inuit or Eskimo! Have you heard the urban myth that Eskimos have hundreds of words for snow? I have, and I decided to investigate this.
Well, I’m not the first one; it seems like many people have commented on the origin of this myth, including linguists and historians. So, let me summarize:
Here is my list of favourite words (adjectives) for snow:
| Snow on the ground | Snow falling | |
|---|---|---|
| wet | big | |
| heavy | small | |
| sticky | tiny | |
| snowball-snow | flaky | |
| crusty | swirly | |
| dry | blinding | |
| powdery | stinging | |
| squishy | floating | |
| squeaky | fast | |
| crispy | hypnotizing* |
*Snow is hypnotizing when driving while it’s snowing and the snow-tunnel effect partially lulls you to sleep.
I found an online Inuktitut dictionary, and searching “snow” gave me 284 search results, including things like “snow for leaky snow house,” “snow house made from trodden snow,” — I don’t think any of them live in snow houses anymore! — and a more modern one, “aircraft blown snow.” I guess it’s like any language; there are many words in dictionaries we don’t really use, like galeanthropy (the delusion that one has become a cat). A quick look through the dictionary found some great adjectives, like sugar snow, feathery snow, soft snow, first snow, fresh snow, and refrozen snow. I’d love to use some of these, but I doubt I could to pronounce them!
In my research I came across this satirical list by Phil James. Perhaps you’ve seen it too — good for a laugh! I don’t think any of the words are real…
The Eskimos’ Hundred Words for Snow
by Phil James
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tla | ordinary snow |
| tlapa | powder snow |
| tlacringit | snow that is crusted on the surface |
| kayi | drifting snow |
| tlapat | still snow |
| klin | remembered snow |
| naklin | forgotten snow |
| tlamo | snow that falls in large wet flakes |
| tlatim | snow that falls in small flakes |
| tlaslo | snow that falls slowly |
| tlapinti | snow that falls quickly |
| kripya | snow that has melted and refrozen |
| tliyel | snow that has been marked by wolves |
| tliyelin | snow that has been marked by Eskimos |
| blotla | blowing snow |
| pactla | snow that has been packed down |
| hiryla | snow in beards |
| wa-ter | melted snow |
| tlayinq | snow mixed with mud |
| quinaya | snow mixed with Husky shit |
| quinyaya | snow mixed with the shit of a lead dog |
| slimtla | snow that is crusted on top but soft underneath |
| kriplyana | snow that looks blue in the early morning |
| puntla | a mouthful of snow because you fibbed |
| allatla | baked snow |
| fritla | fried snow |
| gristla | deep fried snow |
| MacTla | snow burgers |
| jatla | snow between your fingers or toes, or in groin-folds |
| dinliltla | little balls of snow that cling to Husky fur |
| sulitlana | green snow |
| mentlana | pink snow |
| tidtla | snow used for cleaning |
| ertla | snow used by Eskimo teenagers for exquisite erotic rituals |
| kriyantli | snow bricks |
| hahatla | small packages of snow given as gag gifts |
| semtla | partially melted snow |
| ontla | snow on objects |
| intla | snow that has drifted indoors |
| shlim | slush |
| warintla | snow used to make Eskimo daiquiris |
| mextla | snow used to make Eskimo Margaritas |
| penstla | the idea of snow |
| mortla | snow mounded on dead bodies |
| ylaipi | tomorrow’s snow |
| nylaipin | the snows of yesteryear (“neiges d’antan”) |
| pritla | our children’s snow |
| nootlin | snow that doesn’t stick |
| rotlana | quickly accumulating snow |
| skriniya | snow that never reaches the ground |
| bluwid | snow that’s shaken down from objects in the wind |
| tlanid | snow that’s shaken down and then mixes with sky-falling snow |
| ever-tla | a spirit made from mashed fermented snow, popular among Eskimo men |
| talini | snow angels |
| priyakli | snow that looks like it’s falling upward |
| chiup | snow that makes halos |
| blontla | snow that’s shaken off in the mudroom |
| tlalman | snow sold to German tourists |
| tlalam | snow sold to American tourists |
| tlanip | snow sold to Japanese tourists |
| protla | snow packed around caribou meat |
| attla | snow that as it falls seems to create nice pictures in the air |
| sotla | snow sparkling with sunlight |
| tlun | snow sparkling with moonlight |
| astrila | snow sparkling with starlight |
| clim | snow sparkling with flashlight or headlight |
| tlapi | summer snow |
| krikaya | snow mixed with breath |
| ashtla | expected snow that’s wagered on (depth, size of flakes) |
| huantla | special snow rolled into “snow reefers” and smoked by wild Eskimo youth |
| tla-na-na | snow mixed with the sound of old rock and roll from a portable radio |
| depptla | a small snowball, preserved in Lucite, that had been handled by Johnny Depp |
| trinkyi | first snow of the year |
| tronkyin | last snow of the year |
| shiya | snow at dawn |
| katiyana | night snow |
| tlinro | snow vapor |
| nyik | snow with flakes of widely varying size |
| ragnitla | two snowfalls at once, creating moire patterns |
| akitla | snow falling on water |
| privtla | snow melting in the spring rain |
| chahatlin | snow that makes a sizzling sound as it falls on water |
| hootlin | snow that makes a hissing sound as the individual flakes brush |
| geltla | snow dollars |
| briktla | good building snow |
| striktla | snow that’s no good for building |
| erolinyat | snow drifts containing the imprint of crazy lovers |
| chachat | swirling snow that drives you nuts |
| krotla | snow that blinds you |
| tlarin | snow that can be sculpted into the delicate corsages Eskimo girls pin to their whale parkas at prom time |
| motla | snow in the mouth |
| sotla | snow in the south |
| maxtla | snow that hides the whole village |
| tlayopi | snow drifts you fall into and die |
| truyi | avalanche of snow |
| tlapripta | snow that burns your scalp and eyelids |
| carpitla | snow glazed with ice |