snape

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word snape. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word snape, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say snape in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word snape you have here. The definition of the word snape will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofsnape, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: Snape

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Origin obscure. Perhaps from snape, a dialectal variant of sneap (“to nip, bite, pinch”). More at sneap.

Verb

snape (third-person singular simple present snapes, present participle snaping, simple past and past participle snaped)

  1. (nautical, shipbuilding) To bevel the end of a timber to fit against an inclined surface.
    • 2000, William L. Crothers, The American-built Clipper Ship, 1850-1856, International Marine, page 265:
      It had to be accurately cut and trimmed, and its upper edge scored to suit the snaping of every beam end.

Etymology 2

From Middle English snaipen (“to injure; of sleet or snow: to nip; to criticize, rebuke, revile”) ,[1] from Old Norse sneypa (“to disgrace, dishonour; to outrage”),[2] from Proto-Germanic *snupaną, *snubaną (“to cut; to snap”); further origin unknown. Doublet of sneap.

Verb

snape (third-person singular simple present snapes, present participle snaping, simple past and past participle snaped) (archaic or British, dialectal)

  1. (transitive)
    1. To check or curtail (the growth of something); also, to check or curtail the growth of (a plant, etc.).
    2. Synonym of sneap (“to check or abruptly reprove (someone); to chide, to rebuke, to reprimand”)
      • 1861, Terry A. Johnston, Him on One Side and Me on the Other, Univ. of South Carolina Press, p48, 1999 (quoting Alexander Campbell)
        The colnel (sic) I dont think like him much. I undirstand (sic) he was always snaping him.
  2. (intransitive) To chide, to rebuke, to reprimand.
    • 1871, John Esten Cooke, Out of the Foam:
      He saw nothing, heard nothing, rushed on, he knew not whither, snaping, and uttering hoarse cries.
    • 2001, Joan Raphael-Leff, Pregnancy: The Inside Story, Karnac Books, page 22:
      I imagine her prodding my flab and snaping, "There's nothing there — get rid of that!"

References

  1. ^ “snaipen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. ^ “snape, v.2”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2021.

Anagrams

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old Norse sneypa (“to outrage, dishonor, disgrace”).

Verb

snape (third-person singular simple present snapeth, present participle snapende, snapynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle snaped)

  1. To injure; of snow or sleet: nip, afflict
    • Þe snawe snitered ful snart, þat snayped þe wylde. — Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, c1400
    • Ilke a barne in þe burgh all blaught is hys wedes Als any snappand snaw. — Wars of Alexander, 1500
  2. To rebuke; revile, criticize
    • Vte of desert þar he was in, He com to snaip þe king sinn. — Cursor Mundi, 1400
    • To Snape: corripere — Catholicon Anglicum, 1483
  • snapli (“sharply, bitingly; reproachfully”)

References

Middle English Dictionary, snaipen, snaip, snape

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia