snow monster

[ snoh mon-ster ]

noun

1. a tall evergreen tree fully encased in multiple layers of snow and ice: exemplified by firs in the alpine area of northern Honshu, Japan, where heavy snowfall and freezing Siberian winds combine to create the phenomenon:

   We skied through trails lined with hundreds of snow monsters, which was the spectacle we had come to see!

Word History and Origins

Origin of snow monster¹

First recorded in 1990–95; from Japanese juhyō, literally, “ice tree,” from ju “tree” (from Middle Chinese; compare Mandarin shù, Cantonese syu ) + hyō “tree” (from Middle Chinese; compare Mandarin bīng, Cantonese bing )

Example Sentences

Morgan Flatley, McDonald’s U.S. chief marketing officer, said, "After a year like 2020, I think we could all use some extra cheer this season. What better way to celebrate and get into the holiday spirit than with free McDonald’s menu favorites for everyone, including Rudolph, the Abominable Snow Monster and yes, even Scrooge."

From Fox News

An abominable snow monster from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and a Santa hat-wearing Snoopy sit beside another group of signs.

From Fox News

Sipping jasmine milk tea from Snow Monster in Westminster, Lili Bui, 25, said she grew up hearing about Tong’s escapades from her grandparents.

From Los Angeles Times

That includes a creepy—but still somehow sweet—trilogy of animated videos for the album, in which a little girl, a Sia stand-in with half-red, half-green hair, meets, adores, and then must abandon a lonely snow monster who lives in a haunted ice house.

From Slate

Add blustery male hubris, British classism and a snow monster to the mix and you have producer Ridley Scott's aptly titled television series "The Terror."

From Los Angeles Times