Snowslides

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of rapid mass movement of snow down a slope
2. an event characterized by the sudden release of accumulated snow
3. a natural occurrence that poses danger to areas at risk from avalanches

Etymology: "Snowslides" is the plural of "snowslide," a compound formed from "snow" and "slide," with the same construction as "landslide." Its meaning is a mass of snow sliding down a slope, the same sense that "avalanche" carries, though the compound is far more transparent: it simply names the snow and the sliding movement together. The plural form simply follows the usual English pattern of adding "-s" to the noun, so there is nothing irregular about it. The word's clarity is the reason it is easy to understand at a glance: a reader who has never heard it before can work out the meaning from its two parts alone.

Synonyms: avalanches, landslides, slips, slides, cascades