der Schneeball
snowball
A ball made of compressed snow, used especially for throwing during play.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder formten Schneebälle und bewarfen sich damit.
The children made snowballs and threw them at each other.
der Schneeball
snowball
der Schneeball, die Schneebälle
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Meanings
der Schneeball
snowball bush
A shrub of the Viburnum genus that is often grown as an ornamental plant in gardens. Its usually white flowers grow in large, spherical clusters in some species or cultivated varieties.
EXAMPLE
Der Schneeball im Vorgarten trägt im Mai große weiße Blütenkugeln.
The snowball bush in the front garden has large white flower clusters in May.
der Schneeball
snowball pastry
A spherical sweet pastry made from strips of dough, baked in hot fat and usually dusted with powdered sugar. It is particularly known as a specialty from Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
EXAMPLE
In Rothenburg kaufte sie einen frisch gebackenen Schneeball mit Puderzucker.
In Rothenburg, she bought a freshly baked snowball pastry dusted with powdered sugar.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Schneeball, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Schneebälle |
| genitive | des Schneeballes |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Schneeball | die Schneebälle |
| accusative | den Schneeball | die Schneebälle |
| dative | dem Schneeball | den Schneebällen |
| genitive | des Schneeballes des Schneeballs | der Schneebälle |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Compound word
'Schneeball' (snowball) is made up of 'Schnee' (snow) and 'Ball' (ball). The shape of a ball made of snow explains the word's basic meaning; the other meanings also refer to something spherical.
EXAMPLE
Beim ersten Schnee rollten die Kinder sofort einen großen Schneeball.
When the first snow fell, the children immediately rolled a large snowball.
Context clue
You can often identify the meaning from the surrounding words: when it is about playing or throwing, it refers to a ball of snow; when it is about flowers and plants, it refers to the shrub; and when it is about pastries or powdered sugar, it refers to the specialty.
EXAMPLE
Die Jungen warfen sich im Garten Schneebälle zu.
The boys threw snowballs to each other in the garden.
Der Schneeball blüht jedes Jahr besonders üppig.
The snowball bush blooms especially abundantly every year.
Zum Kaffee servierte sie einen Schneeball mit Puderzucker.
She served a snowball pastry with powdered sugar with the coffee.
Typical collocations
In the meaning of a ball of snow, 'Schneeball' (snowball) often appears with verbs describing forming and throwing. Typical collocations are 'einen Schneeball formen' (to make a snowball), 'einen Schneeball werfen' (to throw a snowball), and 'sich mit Schneebällen bewerfen' (to throw snowballs at each other).
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder formten einen Schneeball und warfen ihn gegen die Mauer.
The children made a snowball and threw it at the wall.
Garden context
In the plant-related meaning, 'Schneeball' (snowball bush) often occurs in connection with flowers, shrubs, and gardens. Verbs such as 'blühen' (to bloom), 'pflanzen' (to plant), and 'zurückschneiden' (to prune) usually indicate this context.
EXAMPLE
Wir haben den Schneeball neben der Terrasse gepflanzt.
We planted the snowball bush next to the terrace.
Regional specialty
The pastry meaning is particularly associated with Rothenburg ob der Tauber. In this context, words such as 'Teig' (dough), 'Puderzucker' (powdered sugar), 'backen' (to bake), and 'Spezialität' (specialty) often appear.
EXAMPLE
Auf dem Markt probierten wir einen Schneeball mit Schokolade und Puderzucker.
At the market, we tried a snowball pastry with chocolate and powdered sugar.
In real life
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