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Sno-cat

Sno-cat

1 8.7
A vehicle that moves on snow using wide tracks and sometimes skis to carry people or goods
  • noun
  • /ˈsnoʊˌkæt/
  • Specialized
: Sno-cat
  • During the winter season, we often see Sno-cats preparing the trails for skiers at the lodge.
  • Sno-cat operations

Examples

  • Is the old Sno-Cat out back working?

  • "He shouldn't have been on any Sno-Cat," he said.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Driving a Sno-Cat.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The ski resort provided a free Sno-cat shuttle to transport visitors up the snowy mountain.

  • For a thrilling adventure, we booked a guided Sno-cat tour into the backcountry to experience untouched snow.

Synonyms

skidoo
vsSno-cat
  • US
1 8.0

A motor vehicle with skis that people ride on snow

is a larger tracked vehicle for carrying people or gear during work on snow

How Suitable

Sno-cat
  • Specialized
1 8.7
snowmobile
  • UK
24 3.7
off-roader
1 4.5
car
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Sno-cat singular
Sno-cats plural

Morphology

Sno-cat = snowcat (semi-transparent) = sno + cat

Clipped, hyphenated, and possibly trademarked spelling ('Sno-cat') makes the relation to the common word 'snowcat' partially obvious but nonstandard orthography reduces full transparency for learners.

Etymology

Sno-cat comes from sno (a short form of 'snow') and cat, which gives the picture of a strong machine moving over snow like a big cat on wide feet. So a Sno-cat is a vehicle with tracks or skis made to travel on snow.