snowflake

== English == === Alternative forms === snow flake, snow-flake ❄ (Internet slang) === Etymology === From snow +‎ flake. Compare Saterland Frisian Sneeflokke (“snowflake”), Dutch sneeuwvlok, Luxembourgish Schnéiflack, German Schneeflocke. === Pronunciation === enPR: snōʹflāk IPA(key): (Received Pronunciation) /ˈsnəʊ.fleɪk/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈsnoʊ.fleɪk/ === Noun === snowflake (plural snowflakes) A crystal of snow, having approximate hexagonal symmetry. Any of several bulbous European plants, of the genus Leucojum, having white flowers. The snow bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis. (slang, derogatory) Someone who believes they are particularly unique and special. (slang, derogatory) Someone hypersensitive to insult or offense, especially a young person with politically correct sensibilities. Synonym: special snowflake 2017, Dylan Kyle, quoted in "Campus Voices", The Mugdown (Texas A&M University), August 2017, page 15: When have words ever hurt anyone? The triggered snowflakes at this liberal university are trying to literally murder our freedom of speech. 2017, Ben Brill, "What's wrong with saying 'Happy holidays' this December", High Tide (Redondo Union High School), 20 October 2017, page 7: Fox News pundits claim to be upset because companies are choosing to embrace the "holidays" rather than "Christmas" to avoid offending any liberal snowflakes. For more quotations using this term, see Citations:snowflake. (ophthalmology) A type of lesion that appears as scattered white-brown spots under high magnification light microscopy. Something that is unique in every presentation. (slang, usually derogatory) A Caucasian person. (historical) Someone (usually white) who was opposed to the abolition of slavery (Missouri, 1860s) ==== Usage notes ==== The pejorative sense of "an overly sensitive person" arose from the idea that no two snowflakes are alike. "Snowflake" as a derogatory term was popularized by its use in the 1996 novel Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk (see quotation above), but the insult had existed for a significant amount of time prior to this, although not in popular use. In recent years, the meaning has expanded from "a person who believes they are unique" to also denote someone who is too sensitive and is easily offended, based on conceptions of snowflakes' fragility and weakness. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== ❄ snowfleck === Verb === snowflake (third-person singular simple present snowflakes, present participle snowflaking, simple past and past participle snowflaked) To fall in the manner of a snowflake. (computing, databases) To arrange (data) into a snowflake schema. === References === === Further reading === snowflake on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Leucojum on Wikispecies.Wikispecies === Anagrams === flowsnake