Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *snuttuzder. Old English ġesnot Middle English snot English snot From Middle English snot, snotte, from Old English ġesnot, *snott, from Proto-West Germanic *snott, *snutt, from Proto-Germanic *snuttuz (“nasal mucus”), from the same base as snout; ultimately of onomatopoeic or sound-symbolic origin (compare sniff, snuff, snoot, snook), but possibly continuing Proto-Indo-European *snew-t- (“to flow, run”). Related also to snite. Cognate with North Frisian snot (“snot”), Saterland Frisian Snotte (“snot”), West Frisian snotte (“snot”), Dutch snot (“snot”), German Low German Snött (“snot”), dialectal German Schnutz (“snot”), Danish snot (“snot”), Norwegian snott (“snot”).
Once, I remember, the little fair-haired boy had a choking fit at dinner, and a stream of snot ran out of his nose on to his plate in a way horrible to see.c. 1948, George Orwell, Such, Such Were the Joys:
With no warning a gang of little snots — none larger or older than I was — threw me to the ground, pulled my knickers below my knees — without any explanation, and allowed me to get up.2010, Ernest L. Rhodes, A Coal Miner's Family at Mooseheart, page 19:
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *snuttuzder. Old English ġesnot Middle English snot English snot From Middle English snot, snotte, from Old English ġesnot, *snott, from Proto-West Germanic *snott, *snutt, from Proto-Germanic *snuttuz (“nasal mucus”), from the same base as snout; ultimately of onomatopoeic or sound-symbolic origin (compare sniff, snuff, snoot, snook), but possibly continuing Proto-Indo-European *snew-t- (“to flow, run”). Related also to snite. Cognate with North Frisian snot (“snot”), Saterland Frisian Snotte (“snot”), West Frisian snotte (“snot”), Dutch snot (“snot”), German Low German Snött (“snot”), dialectal German Schnutz (“snot”), Danish snot (“snot”), Norwegian snott (“snot”).
1
Ambitransitive, Informal To blow, wipe, or clear (the nose).
2
Informal To sniff or snivel; to produce snot, to have a runny nose.
I was snotting all into my mouth and having to eat it, silently shuddering.2014, Caitlin Moran, How to Build a Girl, Ebury, published 2015, page 148: