sleet

Meaning

Noun

1. (US, countable, uncountable) Pellets of ice made of mostly-frozen raindrops or refrozen melted snowflakes.
2. (Ireland, Northeastern, UK, US, countable, uncountable) Precipitation in the form of a mixture of rain and snow.
3. (countable, rare, uncountable) A smooth coating of ice formed on ground or other objects by freezing rain.
4. (countable, uncountable) The part of a mortar extending from the chamber to the trunnions.

Verb

To be in a state in which sleet is falling.

Synonyms

hail

freezing rain

wet snow

snow

❄️

hailstorm

rainfall

slob

sloven

slush

graupel

ice pellets

ice storm

shower sleet

ice rain

bad weather

frozen rain

foul weather

heel

jerk

rain

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Translations

aguanieve

nevischio

Schneeregen

grésil

aiguaneu

Graupel

granizo

Graupeln

acquaneve

χιονόνερο

grésiller

neige fondue

Eisregen

ijzel

Pronounced as (IPA)

/sliːt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: slete

Inherited from Old English: *slēte

Cognate with Danish: slud

Cognate with Low German: Sloot

Cognate with German: Schloße

In summary

From Middle English slete, probably from Old English *slēte, *slȳte, *slīete, from Proto-West Germanic *slautijā, from Proto-Germanic *slautijǭ (“sleet”). Walter W. Skeat, the author of Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, suggests Old Norse slydda (whence Danish slud (“mixture of rain and snow”)). The word appears to be akin to Low German Sloot (“hail”), dialectal German Schloße (“large hailstone”), Old Gutnish sloyta (“slush, sleet”). Doublet of slut.