A Snag Was a Tree Stump in a River
A snag is an unexpected obstacle. The word first named a hazard to boats.
A snag is an unexpected obstacle or difficulty, and also a sharp projection that catches on things. The figurative sense came from American river navigation: a snag was a submerged tree trunk that could hole a steamboat, and the Mississippi was dangerous enough that purpose-built *snagboats* were employed to pull them out. Hitting a snag was literal before it was metaphorical. The word is Scandinavian, from a root meaning a point or projection.
- An obstacle. *We hit a snag.*
- A sharp projection. *A snag in the wood.*
- A pulled thread. *A snag in her tights.*
- A submerged tree. *A river snag.*
- Old Norse — *snagi*, a point. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | snag | A snag. |
| Verb | snag | Snagging. |
| Past | snagged | Snagged. |
| Compound | snagboat | A snagboat. |
| Old Norse | snagi | A point. |
- The plan hit a snag.Obstacle.
- Her sleeve snagged on a nail.Catching.
- Snagboats cleared the river.History.
Snagboats on the Mississippi
- Submerged trunks wrecked steamboats regularly
- Congress funded snag removal from the 1820s
- Purpose-built snagboats had twin hulls and heavy winches
- They hauled trunks out and cut them up
- River deaths fell sharply as a result
Of Scandinavian origin, from Old Norse *snagi*, a point or projection.
Where does hitting a snag come from?
From American river navigation, where a snag was a submerged tree trunk that could sink a steamboat.
What was a snagboat?
A purpose-built vessel with winches used to haul submerged trunks out of navigable rivers.