snack [ME] The early sense recorded was ‘snap, bite’, from Middle Dutch snac(k), from snacken ‘to bite’, a variant of snappen, source of Late Middle English snap. Senses relating to food date from the late 17th century; use of the word to mean ‘light incidental meal’ dates from the mid 18th century. Since snatch [ME] originally meant ‘snap suddenly’ it is probably related.