snarl
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English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- Rhymes: -ɑː(r)l
Etymology 1[edit]
Late 14thc. From Middle English snarlen, frequentative of snaren (“to trap, tangle”). Equivalent to snare + -le.
Verb[edit]
snarl (third-person singular simple present snarls, present participle snarling, simple past and past participle snarled)
- (transitive) To entangle; to complicate; to involve in knots.
- to snarl a skein of thread
- Edmund Spenser
- And from her back her garments she did tear, / And from her head oft rent her snarled hair […]
- (intransitive) To become entangled.
- (transitive) To place in an embarrassing situation; to ensnare; to make overly complicated.
- Latimer
- [the] question that they would have snarled him with
- Latimer
- (transitive, intransitive) To be congested in traffic, or to make traffic congested.
- To form raised work upon the outer surface of (thin metal ware) by the repercussion of a snarling iron upon the inner surface.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
To entangle
|
To embarrass
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To form raised work upon the outer surface of
Noun[edit]
snarl (plural snarls)
- A knot or complication of hair, thread, or the like, difficult to disentangle.
- Synonym: entanglement
- An intricate complication; a problematic difficulty; a knotty or tangled situation.
- A slow-moving traffic jam.
Synonyms[edit]
- (entangled situation): imbroglio
Translations[edit]
knot or complication of hair, thread, or the like, difficult to disentangle
Etymology 2[edit]
Late 16thc. Frequentative of earlier snar (“to growl”), perhaps from Middle Low German snorren (“to drone”), of probably imitative origin. Related to German schnarren (“to rattle”) and schnurren (“to hum, buzz”).
Verb[edit]
snarl (third-person singular simple present snarls, present participle snarling, simple past and past participle snarled)
- (intransitive) To growl angrily by gnashing or baring the teeth; to gnarl; to utter grumbling sounds.
- (transitive) To complain angrily; to utter growlingly.
- (intransitive) To speak crossly; to talk in rude, surly terms.
- Dryden
- It is malicious and unmanly to snarl at the little lapses of a pen, from which Virgil himself stands not exempted.
- Dryden
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
To growl
To speak crossly
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Noun[edit]
snarl (plural snarls)
A sphynx snarls at a dog.
- The act of snarling; a growl; a surly or peevish expression; an angry contention.
- A growl, for example that of an angry or surly dog, or similar; grumbling sounds.
- A squabble.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
act of snarling
Further reading[edit]
- snarl in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- snarl in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- snarl at OneLook Dictionary Search
- “snarl” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.
- “snarl” in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary.
Anagrams[edit]
Icelandic[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Back-formation from snarla.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
snarl n (genitive singular snarls, no plural)
- snack (light meal)
Declension[edit]
declension of snarl
See also[edit]
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English words suffixed with -le
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms borrowed from Middle Low German
- English terms derived from Middle Low German
- Icelandic 1-syllable words
- Icelandic terms with IPA pronunciation
- Icelandic lemmas
- Icelandic nouns
- Icelandic neuter nouns
- Icelandic uncountable nouns
