Weather Vocabulary related to Winter

The Arapaho have several interesting weather terms. The word for 'sleet' is 'bear cubs' and when it is sleeting, they say that 'bear cub rain is falling'. When it is extremely cold, they say that "the animals are making small tracks" because at that time of year, the snow is often frozen and hard-packed (especially on the plains), and the animals leave very faint, small prints in the snow. The name for January is "month of small tracks." The Arapahos have a word for the well-known "Chinook Wind" of the eastern slope of the Rockies, which translates as "warming up after the cold wind". Notice the very descriptive words they have for the various months as well.

The Seasons

fall = tóóyouní' (not literally translatable, but has to do with arrival of the cold)
winter = cecííni' (also means "year")
spring = bénii'owúúni' ("it is thawing")

september = nííhoonkóó'("the leaves are yellow" )
october = céenkóó' ("the leaves are falling")
november = seníícenkóó' ("the leaves have fallen")
december = 3óó3ooncecniisíís ("height of winter month")
january = heecóxóoxéihí3i' ("they are making small tracks")
february = heneené3ebéíhit ("snow dogs")
march = hóótoneeniisíís ("fire is extinguished" -- either due to warming or due to strong spring winds)
april = bénii'owuusíís ("thawing month")

Cold

tóóyoobéé' = it is cool
tonóeese' = a cool breeze is blowing
tóóyoo3ínoo'óó' = it is getting cold
tóóyoo3óó' = it is cold
tóóyoo3éése' = a cold wind is blowing
néénebéése' = a north wind is blowing
noohókoo3óó' = it is bitterly cold
wo'ów = ice
woo'owúúni' = it is icy
nii'óte' = it is freezing, frozen
héécexóoxéihí3i' = the animals are making small tracks (because the snow is cold and hard-packed)

Snow

híií = snow
beneecí' = it is snowing
nonó'oteecí' = it is snowing heavily
teebíiínoo' = the snow is deep on the ground
cenéiteecí' = a snowstorm is coming
téé'ceecí' = it is snowing and melting on the ground (spring or fall)
benííonéecí' = it is snowing and turning to rain, or raining and turning to snow (literally "thaw snow")
wóxuusóóno' = sleet (literally "bear cubs")
wóóxuunoosóó' = it is sleeting
senííwohéí'i'óó' híií = avalanche (literally "the snow is sliding")

Thawing and Early Springtime

honookúúnoo'óó' = it is warming up after being cold
honookúúsi' = a warm day after being cold
honóókuunéése' = a Chinook wind is blowing (literally "a warming-up wind")
xonooxo'óése' = a spring wind is blowing
bénii'owúúni' = spring-time is arriving (literally "it is thawing"

Weather Home