Standard Lemma guide

snowflake

noun · verb · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • snōʹflāk
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsnəʊ.fleɪk/
  • General-American: /ˈsnoʊ.fleɪk/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S N OW1 F L EY2 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A crystal of snow, having approximate hexagonal symmetry.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any of several bulbous European plants, of the genus Leucojum, having white flowers.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The snow bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Someone who believes they are particularly unique and special.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Someone hypersensitive to insult or offense, especially a young person with politically correct sensibilities.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: special snowflake

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A type of lesion that appears as scattered white-brown spots under high magnification light microscopy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, ophthalmology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

Something that is unique in every presentation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A Caucasian person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, slang, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

Someone (usually white) who was opposed to the abolition of slavery (Missouri, 1860s)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To fall in the manner of a snowflake.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

To arrange (data) into a snowflake schema.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, databases, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

white Arctic bunting

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: snow bunting, snowbird, Plectrophenax nivalis

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bunting

13

noun

Meaning 13

a crystal of snow

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: flake

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: crystal

History

Etymology

From snow + flake. Compare Saterland Frisian Sneeflokke (“snowflake”), Dutch sneeuwvlok, Luxembourgish Schnéiflack, German Schneeflocke.

Across languages

Translations

181 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: flok bore — crystal
  • Southern Altai: карычак (karïčak) — crystal
  • Arabic: رُقَاقَةُ الثَّلْج (ruqāqatu ṯ-ṯalj) — crystal
  • Arabic: نُدْفَةُ الثَّلْج (nudfatu ṯ-ṯalj) — crystal
  • Armenian: փաթիլ (pʻatʻil) — crystal
  • Azerbaijani: qar bağı — crystal
  • Basque: elur-maluta — crystal
  • Basque: elur-luma — crystal
  • Belarusian: сняжы́нка (snjažýnka) — crystal
  • Belarusian: сьняжы́нка (sʹnjažýnka) — crystal
  • Breton: fulenn erc'h f fulennoù erc'h — crystal
  • Breton: malzenn erc'h f -où erc'h — crystal
  • Bulgarian: снежи́нка (snežínka) — crystal
  • Burmese: နှင်းပွင့် (hnang:pwang.) — crystal
  • Carpathian Rusyn: снежочка (snežočka) — crystal
  • Catalan: floc de neu — crystal
  • Catalan: borralló — crystal
  • Chagatai: لب لب قار (lab lab qār) — crystal
  • Chinese Cantonese: 雪花 (syut3 faa1) — crystal
  • Chinese: щүәхуар (xüəhuar) — crystal
  • Chinese Mandarin: 雪花 (xuěhuā) — crystal
  • Chinese Mandarin: 雪片 (xuěpiàn) — crystal
  • Czech: sněhová vločka — crystal
  • Danish: snefnug — crystal
  • Dutch: sneeuwvlok — crystal
  • Esperanto: neĝero — crystal
  • Esperanto: neĝfloko — crystal
  • Estonian: lumehelves — crystal
  • Faroese: flykra — crystal
  • Faroese: kavaflykra — crystal
  • Faroese: snjóflykra — crystal
  • Faroese: flyksingur — crystal
  • Faroese: flyksa — crystal
  • Finnish: lumihiutale — crystal
  • French: flocon de neige — crystal
  • Saterland Frisian: Sneeflokke — crystal
  • Galician: folerpa — crystal
  • Galician: fargallo — crystal
  • Galician: baloco — crystal
  • Galician: falampo — crystal
  • Galician: melendro — crystal
  • Galician: zalopa — crystal
  • Galician: farrapo — crystal
  • Georgian: ფანტელი (panṭeli) — crystal
  • German: Schneeflocke — crystal
  • Greek: νιφάδα (nifáda) — crystal
  • Ancient Greek: νιφάς (niphás) — crystal
  • Pontic Greek: πατούλιν (patoúlin) — crystal
  • Greenlandic: qanik — crystal
  • Greenlandic: aputsiaq — crystal
  • Hebrew: פְּתִית שֶׁלֶג (p'tit shéleg) — crystal
  • Hindi: हिमकण (himkaṇ) — crystal
  • Hungarian: hópehely — crystal
  • Hungarian: hópihe — crystal
  • Icelandic: snjókorn — crystal
  • Ido: nivo-floko — crystal
  • Indonesian: kepingan salju — crystal
  • Ingrian: lumihiutale — crystal
  • Ingush: чил (čil) — crystal
  • Interlingua: flocco de neve — crystal
  • Irish: calóg shneachta — crystal
  • Irish: cáithnín sneachta — crystal
  • Italian: fiocco di neve — crystal
  • Japanese: 雪花 (sekka) — crystal
  • Japanese: 雪片 (seppen) — crystal
  • Japanese: 雪の結晶 (yuki no kesshō) — crystal
  • Kazakh: қар бүршігі (qar bürşıgı) — crystal
  • Kazakh: қар қылауы (qar qylauy) — crystal
  • Kazakh: қар ұшқыны (qar ūşqyny) — crystal
  • Kazakh: қылау (qylau) — crystal
  • Khmer: ល្អងព្រិល (lʼɑɑng prɨl) — crystal
  • Korean: 눈송이 (nunsong'i) — crystal
  • Korean: 눈꽃 (nunkkot) — crystal
  • Korean: 설편 (seolpyeon) — crystal
  • Korean: 설화 (seolhwa) — crystal
  • Central Kurdish: کِلووبەفر (kilûbefr) — crystal
  • Kyrgyz: кар кыйкымы (kar kıykımı) — crystal
  • Kyrgyz: кар бүртүгү (kar bürtügü) — crystal
  • Lakota: ičháȟota — crystal
  • Lao: ເກັດຫິມະ (ket hi ma) — crystal
  • Latin: nivis pluma — crystal
  • Latvian: sniegpārsla — crystal
  • Lithuanian: snaigė — crystal
  • : ᦡᦸᧅᧈᦉᦏᦱᧇ (ḋoak1ṡṫhaab) — crystal
  • : ᦵᦙᧆᦉᦏᦱᧇ (medṡṫhaab) — crystal
  • Luxembourgish: Schnéiflack — crystal
  • Macedonian: снегулка (snegulka) — crystal
  • Malay: daun salji — crystal
  • Manchu: ᠯᠠᠪᠰᠠᠨ (labsan) — crystal
  • Manx: floag — crystal
  • Manx: floag niaghtee — crystal
  • Manx: lhiannag niaghtee — crystal
  • Māori: kapu — crystal
  • Māori: kapu huka — crystal
  • Classical Mongolian: ᠯᠠᠪᠰᠠ (labsa) — crystal
  • Mongolian: цасан ширхэг (casan širxeg) — crystal
  • Navajo: shoh dikʼání — crystal
  • Norwegian Bokmål: snøfnugg — crystal
  • Pannonian Rusyn: пахулька (paxulʹka) — crystal
  • Iranian Persian: دانِهٔ بَرْف (dâne-ye barf) — crystal
  • Iranian Persian: بُلورِ بَرْف (bolur-e barf) — crystal
  • Iranian Persian: بَرْفِ دانِه (barf-e dâne) — crystal
  • Iranian Persian: بَرْفْریزِه (barfrize) — crystal
  • Polish: płatek śniegu — crystal
  • Polish: śnieżynka — crystal
  • Portuguese: floco de neve — crystal
  • Portuguese: folheca — crystal
  • Romanian: fulg — crystal
  • Romanian: fulg de zăpadă — crystal
  • Romanian: fulg de nea — crystal
  • Romansh: floc da naiv — crystal
  • Romansh: flocca da naiv — crystal
  • Romansh: scrotta da neiv — crystal
  • Romansh: floc da nev — crystal
  • Romansh: scrota da nev — crystal
  • Romansh: mina da naiv — crystal
  • Romansh: gnoua da naiv — crystal
  • Romansh: flöch da naiv — crystal
  • Romansh: pandschè — crystal
  • Russian: снежи́нка (snežínka) — crystal
  • Scottish Gaelic: bleideag — crystal
  • Scottish Gaelic: leòmag — crystal
  • Scottish Gaelic: pleòiteag (North Uist, Benbecula) — crystal
  • Scottish Gaelic: slathag — crystal
  • Scottish Gaelic: lòineag — crystal
  • Scottish Gaelic: clàdan (Tiree, Mull, Islay, Kintyre) — crystal
  • Scottish Gaelic: clòimhdeag (Lochaber) — crystal
  • Serbo-Croatian: снегуља — crystal
  • Serbo-Croatian: снијегуља — crystal
  • Serbo-Croatian: снегуљица — crystal
  • Serbo-Croatian: снијегуљица — crystal
  • Serbo-Croatian: пахуљица — crystal
  • Serbo-Croatian: snegulja — crystal
  • Serbo-Croatian: snijegulja — crystal
  • Serbo-Croatian: sneguljica — crystal
  • Serbo-Croatian: snijeguljica — crystal
  • Serbo-Croatian: pahuljica — crystal
  • Shor: қарчақ (qarçaq) — crystal
  • Slovak: snehové páperie — crystal
  • Slovak: snehová vločka — crystal
  • Slovene: snežínka — crystal
  • Spanish: copo de nieve — crystal
  • Spanish: ampo — crystal
  • Spanish: copo nival / níveo — crystal
  • Swedish: snöflinga — crystal
  • Tajik: барфак (barfak) — crystal
  • Tajik: зарраи барф (zarra-yi barf) — crystal
  • Tatar: кар бөртеге (qar börtege) — crystal
  • Thai: เกล็ดหิมะ (glèt-hì-má) — crystal
  • Tibetan: ཁ་འདབ (kha 'dab) — crystal
  • Classical Tibetan: ཁ་འདབ (kha 'dab) — crystal
  • Turkish: kar tanesi — crystal
  • Turkmen: garjagaz — crystal
  • Ukrainian: сніжи́нка (snižýnka) — crystal
  • Urdu: بَرْف کا گالَہ (barf kā gāla) — crystal
  • Uyghur: قار ئۇچقۇنى (qar uchquni) — crystal
  • Uzbek: qor uchquni — crystal
  • Vietnamese: bông tuyết — crystal
  • Vietnamese: hoa tuyết — crystal
  • Volapük: flog — crystal
  • Welsh: pluen eira — crystal
  • Yakut: хаар кыырпаҕа (qaar kïïrpağa) — crystal
  • Yiddish: שנייעלע (shneyele) — crystal
  • Yup'ik: qanuk — crystal
  • Bulgarian: бла́тно коки́че (blátno kokíče) — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Chinese Mandarin: 雪片蓮 /雪片莲 (xuěpiànlián) — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Czech: bledule — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Czech: bledule jarní — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Danish: hvidblomme — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Dutch: lenteklokje — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Esperanto: neĝborulo — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Finnish: lumipisara — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Finnish: kevätkello — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • German: Märzenbecher — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Hungarian: tőzike — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Polish: śnieżyca — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Romanian: omătuțe — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Russian: белоцве́тник (belocvétnik) — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Spanish: campanilla — flower of the genus Leucojum
  • Chinese Mandarin: 玻璃心 (bōlixīn) — overly sensitive person
  • Spanish: ofendidito — overly sensitive person
Real reading context

snowflake in complete knowledge articles