Snippet

How to spell snippet

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce snippet

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does snippet mean?

1. nounA small piece or short extract of something, such as writing, conversation, or information.

Snippet in a sentence

• She shared a useful snippet of code with the rest of the team.

• He caught only a snippet of their conversation on the train.

Where does snippet come from?

Language of origin: Dutch

Snippet is built from the verb and noun snip plus the diminutive ending -et, so it literally means a little snip or small cut-off piece. The base word snip arrived in English in the late 1500s, probably borrowed from Dutch or Low German snippen, an imitative word echoing the sharp little sound a pair of scissors makes when it cuts. From the idea of a small clipping of cloth or paper, snippet broadened to mean any small fragment, especially a short extract of writing, conversation, music, or information. The doubled p is the spelling trap: it follows the regular English pattern where a short stressed vowel before a single consonant doubles that consonant when a suffix is added, just as in sniff or strip. Today snippet is most at home in everyday talk about overheard remarks and brief pieces of online content.

How the word is built

• snip (a small cut piece)
• -et (diminutive suffix: little)