Geschneit

Geschneit is a German word with two primary senses. First, it is the past participle of the verb schneien and is used with the auxiliary haben to form the perfect tense, meaning that snowfall occurred. In everyday prose and reporting, Es hat geschneit is the usual construction to describe past snow.

Second, geschneit can function as an adjective meaning “covered with snow” or “snowy.” In this use it can describe a surface or landscape, as in Der Hof ist geschneit. In practice, more common adjectives for snow-covered conditions are verschneit or schneebedeckt, but geschneit is understood and can appear in formal writing or poetic usage.

Etymology and grammar: geschneit follows the standard German past-participle pattern with the ge- prefix and -t suffix. It agrees with no gender or number when used with haben in the compound tense, and it can also serve attributively or predicatively as an adjective.

Usage notes: The present tense of the verb is schneien (Es schneit). The past tense uses hat geschneit. As an adjective, geschneit is mostly found in written language and in situations where a precise or concise description of snow cover is desired.

Examples: Es hat heute geschneit. Der Weg ist geschneit und glatt. In der Landschaft wurde der Schnee heute früh geschneit.

See also: Schnee, Schneefall, Schneesturm.