niveous

American  

[niv-ee-uhs] / ˈnɪv i əs /

adjective

1. resembling snow, especially in whiteness; snowy.

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niveous British  

/ ˈnɪvɪəs /

adjective

1. resembling snow, esp in colour

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Etymology

Origin of niveous

1615–25; < Latin niveus snowy, snow-white, of, from snow, equivalent to niv- (stem of nix ) snow + -eus -eous

Explanation

Use the adjective niveous for anything that's the bright white color of fresh snow, like the niveous landscape outside your window on a frosty morning in January. This literary way to say "snowy white" may come in handy if you want to impress your English teacher or write a flowery letter to someone. You could describe your grandmother's niveous halo of hair or a niveous field of fluffy dandelion seed heads. The word literally means "resembling snow," from the Latin niveus, "snowy," and its root nix, "snow."

Example Sentences

They drove up and down the niveous and tortuous hills in and out of the town.

From Tokyo to Tijuana: Gabriele Departing America by Sills, Steven (Steven David Justin)

"Yes, my dear daughter," said her venerable son-in-law, running his fingers through his niveous thatch, "he was the first of the time- wasting Van Winkles."

From Her Weight in Gold by McCutcheon, George Barr

Her niveous limbs just stood out awkwardly and she did not know what to do.

From Tokyo to Tijuana: Gabriele Departing America by Sills, Steven (Steven David Justin)

Related Words

• stormy
• wintry