Snij

Snij is a Dutch word closely tied to the verb snijden, meaning to cut or slice. The infinitive form is snijden; the present-tense stem is snij, which appears in forms such as ik snij (I cut). The second-person singular is jij snijdt, and the imperative form used for commands is Snij. The core meaning covers cutting, slicing, or carving in various contexts, from cooking to manufacturing.

In everyday language, snij combines with other words to form terms describing specific cutting actions or tools. Examples include snijvlak (cutting plane), snijpunt (intersection point in geometry), and snijmachine (cutting machine). In medicine and everyday speech, snijwond refers to a cut wound, while the verb snijden describes the act more generally.

Beyond Dutch, the form snij also appears in Afrikaans with the same meaning, reflecting shared ancestry with Dutch. In technical and scientific terminology, the prefix snij- is used in compounds to denote cutting or intersection operations, especially in geometry, computer graphics, and engineering.

Etymology traces snij to the wider Germanic family, with cognates in related languages; the word has remained productive as both a basic verb and a productive stem for compound terms. Snij thus functions as a core component of Dutch vocabulary for describing the act and concepts of cutting.