/snɔː/, /snoɹ/, /sno(ː)ɹ/
OriginFrom Middle English snoren, fnoren (“to snore loudly; snort”), from Middle English snore, *fnore (“snore; snort”, noun), from Old English fnora (“snort; sneezing”), from Proto-Germanic *fnuzô, from Proto-Indo-European *pnew- (“to breathe; snort; sneeze”). Compare also Proto-West Germanic *snarkōn, Middle Low German snorren (“to drone”), Dutch snorren (“to hum, purr”).
The change fn → sn in this word is regular, seen also in sneeze, from Middle English fnesen (see sneeze for more).
- ambitransitiveTo breathe during sleep with harsh, snorting noises caused by vibration of the soft palate.
“While you here do ſnoaring lie, / Open-ey'd Conſpiracie / His time doth take: / If of Life you keepe a care, / Shake off ſlumber, and beware. / Awake, awake.”
“The lumpiſh husband ſnoar'd avvay the night, / Till coughs avvak'd him near the morning light.”
- The act of snoring, and the noise produced.
- informalAn extremely boring person or event.
Formssnores(present, singular, third-person) · snoring(participle, present) · snored(participle, past) · snored(past) · snores(plural)