snout [OE] Think how many words to do with noses begin with the letters sn-. Most are medieval. There is snout, which in early use could describe not only the projecting part of an animal’s face but also an elephant’s trunk, and a bird’s beak. A variant of snout was snoot [M19th], which is where snooty [E20th] comes from—snooty people have their noses stuck in the air. Snot [LME] and snotty [M16th] are also based on snout. Snuff [E16th] used to mean ‘to inhale through the nostrils’ before it became a term for powdered tobacco that you inhale through your nostrils. Snuffle [L16th] is related. Snivel [ME] originally referred to mucus. Snore [ME] and snort [LME] once had each other’s meanings—snore meant ‘a snort’ and snort meant ‘to snore’, and both probably imitated the sound.