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prettygoodwordsubnivean or subnivial (sub-NIV-ee-al) - adj., situated or occurring under a layer of snow.
More technically, between the snow and the terrain, but I'm inclined to not be strict here, in order to give this word a better chance at being used in the wild. A more common synonym is subnival, but a) that's not as nice to say and b) also means being of an altitude/latitude just below the snow line and IMNSHO is better reserved for that sense. (There's also subniveal, for added confusion.) I do wonder whether the inside of an igloo counts as subnivean. Coined from Latin roots sub-, under + niveus, snowy (from nix, snow) + a different adjectival suffix.
---L.
More technically, between the snow and the terrain, but I'm inclined to not be strict here, in order to give this word a better chance at being used in the wild. A more common synonym is subnival, but a) that's not as nice to say and b) also means being of an altitude/latitude just below the snow line and IMNSHO is better reserved for that sense. (There's also subniveal, for added confusion.) I do wonder whether the inside of an igloo counts as subnivean. Coined from Latin roots sub-, under + niveus, snowy (from nix, snow) + a different adjectival suffix.
---L.
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Date: 2024-04-10 03:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-04-10 06:57 pm (UTC)