US /ˈsnoʊˌkæp/ UK /ˈsnəʊkæp/
noun Freq #103318

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a covering of snow on the summit of a mountain or over a polar region

    The mountain's snowcap shrank visibly during the unusually warm summer.

  2. 2
    noun

    a small Central American hummingbird whose male has a conspicuous white crown

    A male snowcap hovered briefly beside the flowering shrub.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a covering of snow on the... snow coverice cap
2 noun · a small central american... snowcap hummingbird
Word family
Forms snowcaps
Derived forms snowcaps
Related forms glaciersummitpolar ice

Etymology

A transparent compound of snow + cap. The landscape sense compares a summit's covering to a cap; the hummingbird was named for the adult male's bright white crown.

Topics

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