nevicate

Nevicate is an English verb meaning to snow or to cause to be covered with snow. The term is rare and largely confined to historical or literary usage; in contemporary prose, writers normally use snow or snowfall instead. The noun form is extremely uncommon and is rarely encountered outside scholarly or poetic contexts.

Etymology: Nevicate is thought to derive from Romance languages such as Italian nevicare or French neiger, which in turn come from Latin nivis, niv- meaning snow. The exact route into English is uncertain, but the sense of snowing is well established in older texts.

Usage: In earlier English writing, nevicate appears as a verb describing snowfall. Today it is generally treated as archaic or literary. When describing winter weather in modern journalism or science, precipitating terms like snow or snowfall are preferred. The word also appears in translations or in poetry to convey a more antique or stylistic tone.