Scotland has 421 words for snow

Scotland has over 400 words for snow. In Scots dialect, researchers at University of Glasgow compiled 421 terms, from 'snaw' to 'feefle' meaning to swirl, 'flindrikin' for light snow shower, and 'spitters' for small drops. It is not just poetic, it was survival. In a pre-weather-forecast world, distinguishing drifting snow from blizzard snow decided if sheep lived. Similar to Sami languages with hundreds of snow and reindeer terms, language expands where detail matters. The myth that Inuit have 100 words is exaggerated, but Scots really do.