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snow blindness

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noun
  1. the usually temporary dimming of the sight caused by the glare of reflected sunlight on snow.
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Origin of snow blindness

First recorded in 1740–50
Related formssnow-blind [snoh-blahynd] /ˈsnoʊˌblaɪnd/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for snow-blind

Historical Examples

  • This, the first "snow-blind day" claimed McLean for its victim.

    The Home of the Blizzard

    Douglas Mawson

  • He was evidently ill, and, as they soon realised, snow-blind.

  • When they got back to the ship it was dinner-time, and both were snow-blind.

  • One of them, snow-blind, towed helplessly at the rear of a sled.

  • But snow-blind men can see in the darkness, and he discovered that he was lying on his back in a room where a fire was flickering.

British Dictionary definitions for snow-blind

snow-blind

adjective
  1. temporarily unable to see or having impaired vision because of the intense reflection of sunlight from snow
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Derived Formssnow blindness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for snow-blind

adj.

1748, from snow (n.) + blind (adj.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
snow-blind in Medicine

snow blindness

(snō)
n.
  1. A usually temporary loss of vision and inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea caused by exposure to bright sunlight and ultraviolet rays reflected from snow or ice.
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Related formssnow′-blind′ null adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.