snell
/snɛl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.89 in modern English
5
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
adv
Alternative form of snelly.
noun
A short line of horsehair, gut, monofilament, etc., by which a fishhook or lure is attached to a longer (and usually heavier) line.
verb
To tie a hook to the end of a fishing line with a snell knot.
name
A surname.
name
An unincorporated community in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, United States.
Example Sentences
- "That in ilk action, wise and snell / You may shaw Manly fire."
- "That horny-handed, snell, peremptory little man."
- "Amos is a lithe, keen, snell man."
- "With all this heavy artillery, somewhat slow and cumbrous, on great questions, he had no want, when he was speaking off-hand, of quick, snell remark, often witty and full of spirit, and often too unexpected, like lightning—flashing, smiting, and gone."
- "Conscience is a rough lad, I grant you, and I am keen and snell also; but never mind, take his advice, and you’ll be some credit to your freens yet, ye scoonrel."
- "Fortunately, we were well prepared for such an emergency, and being sheltered in a safe creek, we roofed the ship with canvas against the snow; and so, with land on every side of us, plenty of moss fuel ashore, a good stock of provisions, and firearms for hunting, we held our trouble, and passed the snell season without the loss of a single soul aboard."
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English snell (“quick, fast”) from Old English snell, snel (“lively, quick”) from Proto-West Germanic *snell, from Proto-Germanic *snellaz (“active, swift, brisk”). Akin to Dutch snel (“fast, quick”), German Low German snell (“quick”), German schnell (“quick, swift”), Yiddish שנעל (shnel, “quick, swift”), Italian snello (“quick, nimble”), Old French esnel, isnel (“snell”), and Occitan isnel, irnel (“snell”)), Old Norse snjallr (“skilful, excellent”) (whence Danish snild (“clever”)).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Inflected Forms
sneller (comparative)
snellest (superlative)
more snell (comparative)
most snell (superlative)
snells (plural)
snells (present, singular)
snelling (participle, present)
snelled (participle, past)
snelled (past)
Derived Forms
Phrases
snell knot
Frequently Paired Words
snell knot