What does besnow mean?
"Besnow" is a rare literary verb meaning to cover or spread with snow, as when a winter storm blankets fields, rooftops, and trees in a uniform white layer. Formed with the productive English prefix "be-," which attaches to nouns to create verbs meaning "to cover or affect with," it belongs alongside kindred formations such as "besmirch," "bedew," and "begrim." In figurative use it can suggest anything whitened or veiled like snow, including greying hair. Today "besnow" survives mainly in poetry and older prose, lending an elevated, wintry atmosphere that plainer phrasing cannot match; contemporary writers usually prefer expressions like "snow-covered" or "blanketed in snow." Its scarcity is precisely its charm — a compact word that lets a single snowfall do the work of an entire clause.
verbTo cover or sprinkle with snow; to whiten or envelop as if by snow.
- (transitive) To cover or overlay with snow, especially of falling snow settling over land, trees, or buildings.
- (figurative, rare) To whiten as if with snow.
"By morning the storm had besnowed the entire valley in a thick white mantle."
"The blizzard besnowed the moors overnight, erasing every track and landmark."
"His hair was besnowed long before his beard turned grey."
English can 'besnow' a landscape the way it can besmirch a reputation — one prefixes a weather event onto the world, the other onto someone's name.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of besnow
"Besnow" was formed within English from the Old English-derived prefix "be-," used to build verbs meaning "to cover or treat with," combined with "snow," from Old English "snāw." It belongs to a family of similar formations such as "bedew," "begrim," and "besmirch," most of which arose or flourished in Middle and Early Modern English. Like many of these "be-" verbs, it has since fallen largely out of ordinary use, surviving in literary registers.
Related word forms
How besnow is actually used
"Besnow" is archaic and literary, belonging to the same family of "be-" prefixed verbs (besmirch, bedew, begrime). It appears chiefly in older poetry and prose; modern writing would normally say "covered in snow" or "snowbound."
Easily confused with besnow
"Besot" means to make foolishly fond of or infatuated, while "besnow" simply means to cover with snow.