snore

English

Etymology

From Middle English snoren, fnoren (“to snore loudly; snort”), from Middle English snore, *fnore (“snore; snort”, noun), from Old English fnora (“snort; sneezing”), from Proto-Germanic *fnuzô, from Proto-Indo-European *pnew- (“to breathe; snort; sneeze”). Compare also Proto-West Germanic *snarkōn, Middle Low German snorren (“to drone”), Dutch snorren (“to hum, purr”).

The change fn → sn in this word is regular, seen also in sneeze, from Middle English fnesen (see that entry for more).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /snɔː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /snɔɹ/
• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /sno(ː)ɹ/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /snoə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)

Verb

snore (third-person singular simple present snores, present participle snoring, simple past and past participle snored)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To breathe during sleep with harsh, snorting noises caused by vibration of the soft palate.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , pages 8-9:

     While you here do ſnoaring lie, / Open-ey'd Conſpiracie / His time doth take: / If of Life you keepe a care, / Shake off ſlumber, and beware. / Awake, awake.

   • 1709, Alexander Pope, “January and May; or, The Merchant’s Tale, from Chaucer”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: W Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, , published 1717, →OCLC, page 223:

     The lumpiſh husband ſnoar'd avvay the night, / Till coughs avvak'd him near the morning light.

Synonyms

• saw wood

Derived terms

• snorer
• snoring rail

Translations

Noun

snore (plural snores)

1. The act of snoring, and the noise produced.
2. (informal) An extremely boring person or event.

   Synonyms: snoozefest, snore-fest

Derived terms

• snore-fest

Translations

Anagrams

• Ensor, Ernos, Neros, Norse, Roens, Rones, Rosen, neros, noser, oners, renos, rosen, senor, seron, señor

Middle English

Etymology 1

Verb

snore

1. Alternative form of snoren

Etymology 2

From Old English fnora, from Proto-Germanic *fnuzô.

Alternative forms

• *fnore

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsnɔːr(ə)/

Noun

snore

1. (rare) snorting

Derived terms

• snoren

Descendants

• English: snore
• Scots: snore