From Middle English snesen (“to sneeze”), alteration of earlier fnesen (“to sneeze”), from Old English fnēosan (“to sneeze, snort”), from Proto-West Germanic *fneusan, from Proto-Germanic *fneusaną, from Proto-Indo-European *pnew- (“to breathe, pant, snort, sneeze”). Cognate with dialectal Dutch fniezen (“to sneeze”), Old Norse fnýsa (“to snort”).
Compare neeze, from Middle English nesen, from Old English *hnēosan (“to sneeze”), cognate with Old High German niosan (“to sneeze”), Old Norse hnjósa (“to sneeze”). See neeze.
It has been suggested that the change could be due to a misinterpretation of the uncommon initial sequence fn- as ſn- (sn- written with a long s), although the change is regular, seen also in snore and snort from Middle English fnoren and fnorten, and in late Middle English snatted from earlier Middle English fnatted (“snub-nosed”). The fn- forms of all these words fell out of use in the 1400s. Due to this rather universal adoption of the fn- > sn- shift within English by such a time frame, the idea of it being a simple sound shift has been suggested as well, with it specifically being a type of assimilation as the labial f- becomes alveolar s- to match the place of articulation of the following n-.
de Niesen (act of sneezing) · fa اشنوسه (act of sneezing) · vec starnudo (act of sneezing) · cy trew (act of sneezing) · yi ניס (act of sneezing) · mi mātihetihe (act of sneezing) · te తుమ్ము (act of sneezing) · ko 재채기 (act of sneezing) · oc esternut (act of sneezing) · pt espirro (act of sneezing) · hu tüsszögés (act of sneezing) · ga sraothartach (act of sneezing) · pa نِچّھ (act of sneezing) · vec starnudada (act of sneezing) · ca esternut (act of sneezing) · uk чиха́ння (act of sneezing) · mn найтаалга (act of sneezing) · pl kichnięcie (act of sneezing) · fa شنوشه (act of sneezing) · az asqırıq (act of sneezing) · ru чиха́ние (act of sneezing) · ain エㇲナ (act of sneezing) · ro strănut (act of sneezing) · cop ⲁⲛⲧⲁϣ (act of sneezing) · be чыха́нне (act of sneezing) · arz عطس (act of sneezing) · ast estorníu (act of sneezing) · cop ⲁⲛⲑⲁϣ (act of sneezing) · aii ܥܘܼܛܫܵܐ (act of sneezing) · fa عطسه (act of sneezing) · ja くしゃみ (act of sneezing) · mn ᠨᠠᠶᠢᠲᠠᠭᠠᠯᠭᠠ (act of sneezing) · fr éternuement (act of sneezing) · mi tihei (act of sneezing) · km កណ្ដាស់ (act of sneezing) · sv nysning (act of sneezing) · sk kýchanie (act of sneezing) · es estornudo (act of sneezing) · ast espirríu (act of sneezing) · gl espirro (act of sneezing) · inc-oas হাঞ্চি (act of sneezing) · tpw atîama (act of sneezing) · ki mwathimũro (act of sneezing) · ar عُطَاس (act of sneezing) · yao mwisamulo class 3 (act of sneezing) · nv hatsʼíhyaa (act of sneezing) · izh aivassus (act of sneezing) · hu tüsszentés (act of sneezing) · scn stranutu (act of sneezing) · hi छींक (act of sneezing) · ar عَطْسَة (act of sneezing) · ga sraoth (act of sneezing) · grc πταρμός (act of sneezing) · vi cái hắt hơi (act of sneezing) · or ଛିଙ୍କା (act of sneezing) · vo snid (act of sneezing) · fr atchoum (act of sneezing) · arz عطس (act of sneezing) · io sternuto (act of sneezing) · da nys (act of sneezing) · ka ცემინება (act of sneezing) · et aevastus (act of sneezing) · uk чха́ння́ (act of sneezing) · vi cái hắt xì (act of sneezing) · el πτέρνισμα (act of sneezing) · el φτέρνισμα (act of sneezing) · gl esbirro (act of sneezing) · tr hapşırık (act of sneezing) · kw striw (act of sneezing) · tl bahing (act of sneezing) · aii ܬܦܵܬܵܐ (act of sneezing) · eo terno (act of sneezing) · pa ਨਿੱਛ (act of sneezing) · yi נאָס (act of sneezing) · hy փռշտոց (act of sneezing) · az asqırma (act of sneezing) · nl nies (act of sneezing) · lv šķaudiens (act of sneezing) · sh kihanje (act of sneezing) · as হাঁচি (act of sneezing) · fi aivastus (act of sneezing) · mi matihe (act of sneezing) · cmn 噴嚏 /喷嚏 (act of sneezing) · ka დაცემინება (act of sneezing) · ckb پژمە (act of sneezing) · tl hatsing (act of sneezing) · la sternūmentum (act of sneezing) · bg ки́хане (act of sneezing) · gl debuto (act of sneezing) · fur starnudade (act of sneezing) · mi tihe (act of sneezing) · el φτάρνισμα (act of sneezing) · cs kýchnutí (act of sneezing) · it starnuto (act of sneezing) · izh aivas (act of sneezing)
From Middle English snesen (“to sneeze”), alteration of earlier fnesen (“to sneeze”), from Old English fnēosan (“to sneeze, snort”), from Proto-West Germanic *fneusan, from Proto-Germanic *fneusaną, from Proto-Indo-European *pnew- (“to breathe, pant, snort, sneeze”). Cognate with dialectal Dutch fniezen (“to sneeze”), Old Norse fnýsa (“to snort”).
Compare neeze, from Middle English nesen, from Old English *hnēosan (“to sneeze”), cognate with Old High German niosan (“to sneeze”), Old Norse hnjósa (“to sneeze”). See neeze.
It has been suggested that the change could be due to a misinterpretation of the uncommon initial sequence fn- as ſn- (sn- written with a long s), although the change is regular, seen also in snore and snort from Middle English fnoren and fnorten, and in late Middle English snatted from earlier Middle English fnatted (“snub-nosed”). The fn- forms of all these words fell out of use in the 1400s. Due to this rather universal adoption of the fn- > sn- shift within English by such a time frame, the idea of it being a simple sound shift has been suggested as well, with it specifically being a type of assimilation as the labial f- becomes alveolar s- to match the place of articulation of the following n-.
Meanings
(intransitive) To expel air as a reflex induced by an irritation in the nose.
To avoid passing on your illness, you should sneeze into your sleeve.
(intransitive) To expel air as if the nose were irritated.
(transitive) To expel or displace (air, snot, etc) from the nose or mouth by the process above.
Toothless sneezed a large amount of dragon snot right in Hiccup's face. 2017, Cressida Cowell, How to Train Your Dragon: How to Betray a Dragon's Hero, Hachette Children's, →ISBN:
When I crossed the road, I sneezed a big achoo! My nose started to feel itchy. 2010, Gunleen Deol, Sleepover Disaster, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 15:
“Okay,”he said, and sneezed a large drop of pinkish goop. “But you better have a lot to eat! I'll race you upstairs!” Wilmer shook his head. Sherman's hyper energy level seemed to have increased, and that was saying a lot. 2014, Fowler DeWitt, The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 89:
I sneezed a big sneeze. It was so big I hit my nose on the sidewalk. Bow-ow. There was a smell in my snout that I wanted to get rid of. And it wasn't Muffet's rotten soup odor, either. That was actually kind of delicious. 2013, Sarah Hines-Stephens, Jane B. Mason, A Dog and His Girl Mysteries #2: Dead Man's Best Friend, Scholastic Inc., →ISBN:
Lily shook her head violently and sneezed a large blue-bottle fly from where that insect had perched itself on the tip of her nose. 1924, Hugh Wiley, The Prowler, page 88:
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
snoze
Tense=Past
humorous, obsolete
lexicographic
snoze
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
humorous, obsolete
lexicographic
sneezing
Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
sneezed
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
sneezed
Tense=Past
lexicographic
sneezes
Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres
lexicographic
snozen
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
humorous, obsolete
lexicographic
Synonyms
neeze (to expel air as a reflex) · sternutate (to expel air as a reflex)
Translations (199)
hi छींकना (expel air as a reflex) · mk кива (expel air as a reflex) · wa stiernouwer (expel air as a reflex) · gl esbechar (expel air as a reflex) · izh aivastaa (expel air as a reflex) · kw striwi (expel air as a reflex) · hu tüsszög (expel air as a reflex) · uk чиха́ти (expel air as a reflex) · cic habishko (expel air as a reflex) · jv wahing (expel air as a reflex) · sh ки́хнути (expel air as a reflex) · ast espirriar (expel air as a reflex) · hy փռշտալ (expel air as a reflex) · wa stierni (expel air as a reflex) · it starnutire (expel air as a reflex) · gsw ernüüsse (expel air as a reflex) · uk чхну́ти (expel air as a reflex) · wym nisa (expel air as a reflex) · dsb kichaś (expel air as a reflex) · mn найтаах (expel air as a reflex) · ca esternudar (expel air as a reflex) · pdc niese (expel air as a reflex) · scn stranutari (expel air as a reflex) · ja くしゃみをする (expel air as a reflex) · ckb پژمین (expel air as a reflex) · eu zintz egin (expel air as a reflex) · nb nyse (expel air as a reflex) · nan-hbl 拍咳啾 (expel air as a reflex) · la sternuō (expel air as a reflex) · sh kíhati (expel air as a reflex) · uk чихну́ти (expel air as a reflex) · qu achhiy (expel air as a reflex) · ml ഓമ്പുക (expel air as a reflex) · ain エㇱナ (expel air as a reflex) · bg ки́хам (expel air as a reflex) · uk чха́ти (expel air as a reflex) · rm stirnidar (expel air as a reflex) · az asqırmaq (expel air as a reflex) · vi hắt hơi (expel air as a reflex) · rm starnüder (expel air as a reflex) · km កណ្ដាស់ (expel air as a reflex) · el φταρνίζομαι (expel air as a reflex) · vi nhảy mũi (expel air as a reflex) · uz chuchkirmoq (expel air as a reflex) · oc esternudar (expel air as a reflex) · sh kíhnuti (expel air as a reflex) · or ଛିଙ୍କାଇବା (expel air as a reflex) · pa چھِکّݨا (expel air as a reflex) · ug چۈشكۈرمەك (expel air as a reflex) · sl kihati (expel air as a reflex) · th จาม (expel air as a reflex) · ary عْطس (expel air as a reflex) · is hnerra (expel air as a reflex) · rm sturnidar (expel air as a reflex) · bn হাঁচি দেত্তয়া (expel air as a reflex) · mnc ᠶᠠᠴᡳᡥᡳᠶᠠᠮᠪᡳ (expel air as a reflex) · uz aksirmoq (expel air as a reflex) · ky чүчкүрүү (expel air as a reflex) · vec starnudar (expel air as a reflex) · kk түшкіру (expel air as a reflex) · sc isturridare (expel air as a reflex) · sq teshtij (expel air as a reflex) · my ချေ (expel air as a reflex) · pl kichać (expel air as a reflex) · grc πτάρνυμαι (expel air as a reflex) · la sternūtō (expel air as a reflex) · aii ܬܵܦܹܬ (expel air as a reflex) · gl esbirrar (expel air as a reflex) · dsb tśichaś (expel air as a reflex) · krj bahën (expel air as a reflex) · mi matihe (expel air as a reflex) · yue 打乞嗤 (expel air as a reflex) · mi tihei (expel air as a reflex) · gl turniscar (expel air as a reflex) · da nyse (expel air as a reflex) · cs kýchnout (expel air as a reflex) · tl bumahin (expel air as a reflex) · sv nysa (expel air as a reflex) · pa نِچّھ مارنِی (expel air as a reflex) · cop ⲁⲛⲑⲁϣ (expel air as a reflex) · mi tihewa (expel air as a reflex) · alt чӱчкӱрер (expel air as a reflex) · mk кивнува (expel air as a reflex) · ko 재채기하다 (expel air as a reflex) · es estornudar (expel air as a reflex) · ru чихну́ть (expel air as a reflex) · kgp asĩg (expel air as a reflex) · ga lig sraoth (expel air as a reflex) · chr ᏚᏴᏍᏙᏯᏍᎦ (expel air as a reflex) · eo terni (expel air as a reflex) · mi matihei (expel air as a reflex) · hu tüsszent (expel air as a reflex) · sma gesnedh (expel air as a reflex) · tr aksırmak (expel air as a reflex) · cjs аспырарға (expel air as a reflex) · gl espurrar (expel air as a reflex) · mt tgħatas (expel air as a reflex) · rm starnüdar (expel air as a reflex) · ceb bahon (expel air as a reflex) · el πταρνίζομαι (expel air as a reflex) · cy tisian (expel air as a reflex) · gl esbichar (expel air as a reflex) · nmn gǂxáʻã (expel air as a reflex) · ru чиха́ть (expel air as a reflex) · dz ཨག་ཚི་རྐྱབ་པ (expel air as a reflex) · hil atsi (expel air as a reflex) · hrx niese (expel air as a reflex) · pt espirrar (expel air as a reflex) · tk asgyrmak (expel air as a reflex) · tet fani (expel air as a reflex) · aii ܥܵܛܹܫ (expel air as a reflex) · sk kýchať (expel air as a reflex) · ang fnēosan (expel air as a reflex) · gl espurriñar (expel air as a reflex) · cs kýchat (expel air as a reflex) · de niesen (expel air as a reflex) · bg ки́хна (expel air as a reflex) · nrf êtèrnuer (expel air as a reflex) · cmn 打噴嚏 /打喷嚏 (expel air as a reflex) · gd sreothart (expel air as a reflex) · mrw ba'an (expel air as a reflex) · am አነጠሰ (expel air as a reflex) · sh ки́хати (expel air as a reflex) · ur چھینک مارنا (expel air as a reflex) · bcl bahon (expel air as a reflex) · ur چهینکنا (expel air as a reflex) · gun axiã (expel air as a reflex) · pa نِچّھݨا (expel air as a reflex) · tg атса кардан (expel air as a reflex) · fi aivastaa (expel air as a reflex) · id bersin (expel air as a reflex) · dng чён (expel air as a reflex) · mi mātihetihe (expel air as a reflex) · ast estornudar (expel air as a reflex) · lt čiaudėti (expel air as a reflex) · ro strănuta (expel air as a reflex) · mdh baan (expel air as a reflex) · mi tihe (expel air as a reflex) · rm starnidar (expel air as a reflex) · et aevastama (expel air as a reflex) · as হাঁচি মাৰ (expel air as a reflex) · yi ניסן (expel air as a reflex) · be чхаць (expel air as a reflex) · sc isturrudare (expel air as a reflex) · te తుమ్ము (expel air as a reflex) · dng да пынти (expel air as a reflex) · pa نِچّھ آؤݨِی (expel air as a reflex) · ar عَطَسَ (expel air as a reflex) · nl niezen (expel air as a reflex) · lv šķaudīt (expel air as a reflex) · fur starnudâ (expel air as a reflex) · kmr bêhnijîn (expel air as a reflex) · pa ਨਿੱਛ ਮਾਰਨੀ (expel air as a reflex) · as হাঁচিয়া (expel air as a reflex) · cop ⲁⲛⲧⲁϣ (expel air as a reflex) · lad sarnudar (expel air as a reflex) · izh aivastaissa (expel air as a reflex) · fa عطسه کردن (expel air as a reflex) · fr éternuer (expel air as a reflex) · sc isturrudai (expel air as a reflex) · sc sturridai (expel air as a reflex) · io sternutar (expel air as a reflex) · ja しゃみをする (expel air as a reflex) · ms bersin (expel air as a reflex) · he הִתְעַטֵּשׁ (expel air as a reflex) · pa ਨਿੱਛਣਾ (expel air as a reflex) · ota آقسرمق (expel air as a reflex) · rup stãrnut (expel air as a reflex) · ltg škauduot (expel air as a reflex) · gl espirrar (expel air as a reflex) · be чхнуць (expel air as a reflex) · lzz აჩინდენ (expel air as a reflex) · be чыха́ць (expel air as a reflex) · wa sprognî (expel air as a reflex) · sk kýchnuť (expel air as a reflex) · as হাঁচ (expel air as a reflex) · tt төчкерү (expel air as a reflex) · enm snesen (expel air as a reflex) · pa ਨਿੱਛ ਆਉਣੀ (expel air as a reflex) · vi hắt xì (expel air as a reflex) · be чыхну́ць (expel air as a reflex) · mn ᠨᠠᠶᠢᠲᠠᠭᠠᠬᠤ (expel air as a reflex) · tg атса задан (expel air as a reflex) · tr hapşırmak (expel air as a reflex) · yao kwesemula (expel air as a reflex) · el φτερνίζομαι (expel air as a reflex) · tl humatsing (expel air as a reflex) · ka აცემინებს (expel air as a reflex) · ddg fahine (expel air as a reflex) · pa ਛਿੱਕਣਾ (expel air as a reflex) · se gastit (expel air as a reflex) · fo njósa (expel air as a reflex) · sc isturritare (expel air as a reflex) · pl kichnąć (expel air as a reflex) · vo snidön (expel air as a reflex) · lo ຈາມ (expel air as a reflex) · sl kihniti (expel air as a reflex) · unm kwëskwine (expel air as a reflex) · sc isturridai (expel air as a reflex)