sleet
SLEET
/sliːt/
Precipitation consisting of ice pellets, often mixed with rain or melting snow.
Refers to small, translucent frozen raindrops that bounce upon touching the ground, occurring in winter conditions.
The story behind the word. Originated in Middle English around the 14th century, related to Middle Low German 'slōte' meaning hailstorm or slushy ice rain.
Word relationships
- ice pellets: Ice pellets is the formal meteorological designation for sleet.
Commonly confused with
- hailstorm: Sleet occurs in cold winter weather from freezing liquid rain; hail forms in tall severe convective thunderstorms.
Word family
- sleety (adjective): Consisting of or accompanied by sleet.
Collocations
- freezing sleet
- sleet and snow
- driving sleet
Example sentences
- "Driving conditions degraded rapidly as rain turned into icy sleet across the region." Winter forecast update
Memory hook
SLEET turns roads into SLICK sheets of ice. Frozen raindrops bouncing off glass.
When not to use
Do not confuse with hail, which falls during violent summer thunderstorms.
Fun facts
- Sleet forms when snow melts into rain in a warm layer of air, then refreezes in a cold surface layer before hitting the ground.
Explore more words
precipitation, transparent, fleet, permeable, brisk, glacier
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