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snell

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snell¹

  • /snɛl/

Rhymes with -ɛl

Where it comes from

Inherited from Middle English snell (“quick, fast”) from Old English snell, snel (“lively, quick”) from Proto-West Germanic *snell, from Proto-Germanic *snellaz (“active, swift, brisk”).

Akin to Dutch snel (“fast, quick”), German Low German snell (“quick”), German schnell (“quick, swift”), Yiddish שנעל (shnel, “quick, swift”), Italian snello (“quick, nimble”), Old French esnel, isnel (“snell”), and Occitan isnel, irnel (“snell”)), Old Norse snjallr (“skilful, excellent”) (whence Danish snild (“clever”)).

adjective sneller · snellest

  1. Scotland Quick, smart; sharp, active, brisk or nimble; lively. That in ilk action, wise and snell / You may shaw Manly fire.
  2. Scotland Quick-witted; clever. With all this heavy artillery, somewhat slow and cumbrous, on great questions, he had no want, when he was speaking off-hand, of quick, snell remark, often witty and full of spirit, and often too unexpected, like lightning—flashing, smiting, and gone.
  3. Scotland Harsh, severe, or stinging. Conscience is a rough lad, I grant you, and I am keen and snell also; but never mind, take his advice, and you’ll be some credit to your freens yet, ye scoonrel.

adverb more snell · most snell

  1. Scotland, alternative Alternative form of snelly

snell²

  • /snɛl/

Rhymes with -ɛl

Where it comes from

Unknown

noun snells

  1. Scotland A short line of horsehair, gut, monofilament, etc., by which a fishhook or lure is attached to a longer (and usually heavier) line. He tied on new baited snells and recovered the current with the oars.

verb snells · snelling · snelled

  1. Scotland To tie a hook to the end of a fishing line with a snell knot. Can you show me how to snell a hook?

Snell³

  • /snɛl/

Where it comes from

English surname, from the adjective snell. See also Sneller, Snelling. Also Americanized from German Schnell and Dutch snel, of the same meaning.

proper noun

  1. A surname.
  2. An unincorporated community in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, United States.
  3. An unincorporated community in Harrison, Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States.

Translations

Every language

adv quick, sudden, sharp

Românăiute

noun short line to attach a hook or lure to heavier line

DeutschMundschnur

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Cite this
MLA

"snell." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/snell. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

snell. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/snell

Chicago

"snell." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/snell.

BibTeX
@misc{snell_2026,
  title = {snell},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/snell},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}