before vowels chion-, word-forming element meaning "snow," from Latinized form of Greek khion "snow," related to kheima, kheimon "winter," from PIE root *gheim- "winter."
Entries linking to chiono-
*gheim-
Proto-Indo-European root meaning "winter."
It forms all or part of: chimera; chiono-; hiemal; hibernacle; hibernal; hibernate; hibernation; Himalaya.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit heman "in winter;" Hittite gimmant-, Armenian jmern, Greek kheima, Latin hiems, Old Church Slavonic zima, Lithuanian žiema "winter;" Greek khion "snow."