I was thinking about this the other day and was wondering the following is coincidence or is there an etymological connection
Did you know? Unless you have a deviated septum you can't pinch you nose closed and hum at the same time. This little factoid brings me to the subject as to why so many English words that refer to the nose begin with SN. From Old Norse snagi ("clothes peg")
(that should give you a clue of the piece of trivia now becomes a pun I started with) Many words dealing with the nose start with S (Smell, Septum) or an N (Nose, nasal, nuzzle, nudge) but many are combined . Not a true prefix but here's a sample. You can probably think of others on your own.
Sniff & snif (A simplified spelling)
sniffle
Snout, snouted
Snot, snotty, snag
snuff
snuffle
snob
snub
snivel
sneeze
snifter
snore
snort
snoop
snooze
schnoz
sneer
Sneak we get the idiom (Keep your nose out of my business) being nosey comes from Middle English sniken "to creep, crawl" So other SN words such as snail & snake are even related and sneakers (Rubber-soled noiseless shoes for sneaking around which tend to smell more than other shoes. from Dutch snoepen "to pry, or snoop. Or another idiom "have a nose for (something)" to have the talent for finding something. any comments or guesses why the nose is connected to these words many of with have entirely different etymologies.
Comments by shieldwolf
Shieldwolf commented on the word Pontchartrain
The lake was named after Frenchman Louis Phélypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain, secretary of the French Navy. 7 November 1683 – 6 September 1699
October 8, 2014
Shieldwolf commented on the list snose-words
or read this related comment I made to myself regarding this https://www.wordnik.com/users/Shieldwolf
October 8, 2014
Shieldwolf commented on the user Shieldwolf
I was thinking about this the other day and was wondering the following is coincidence or is there an etymological connection
Did you know? Unless you have a deviated septum you can't pinch you nose closed and hum at the same time. This little factoid brings me to the subject as to why so many English words that refer to the nose begin with SN. From Old Norse snagi ("clothes peg")
(that should give you a clue of the piece of trivia now becomes a pun I started with) Many words dealing with the nose start with S (Smell, Septum) or an N (Nose, nasal, nuzzle, nudge) but many are combined . Not a true prefix but here's a sample. You can probably think of others on your own.
Sniff & snif (A simplified spelling)
sniffle
Snout, snouted
Snot, snotty, snag
snuff
snuffle
snob
snub
snivel
sneeze
snifter
snore
snort
snoop
snooze
schnoz
sneer
Sneak we get the idiom (Keep your nose out of my business) being nosey comes from Middle English sniken "to creep, crawl" So other SN words such as snail & snake are even related and sneakers (Rubber-soled noiseless shoes for sneaking around which tend to smell more than other shoes. from Dutch snoepen "to pry, or snoop. Or another idiom "have a nose for (something)" to have the talent for finding something. any comments or guesses why the nose is connected to these words many of with have entirely different etymologies.
September 16, 2014