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The word graupel is Germanic in origin; it is the diminutive of Graupe, meaning "pearl barley." According to etymologists, there does seem to be a grain of truth in the assumption that the word grew from the Slavic word krupa, which has the same meaning. Graupel was first seen in an 1889 weather report and has been whirling around in the meteorology field ever since to describe "pellets of snow" or "soft hail" (the latter phrase is an actual synonym of graupel).
Examples of graupel in a Sentence
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Though the exact formation mechanism is still debated, scientists generally agree that small hail particles called graupel, colliding with ice crystals in a cloud, help build up the necessary electrical charges.
—
Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
McCall was hit with graupel — a weather phenomenon that is a cross between hail and snow — on Saturday.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 23 June 2025
Here’s everything to know about Arizona’s winter precipitation — what’s most beneficial, what’s most dangerous and what’s that graupel stuff, anyway.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 5 Dec. 2024
In Ventura, some residents shared video of hail — or possibly graupel — blanketing streets and sidewalks.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2025
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Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
McCall was hit with graupel — a weather phenomenon that is a cross between hail and snow — on Saturday.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 23 June 2025
Here’s everything to know about Arizona’s winter precipitation — what’s most beneficial, what’s most dangerous and what’s that graupel stuff, anyway.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 5 Dec. 2024
In Ventura, some residents shared video of hail — or possibly graupel — blanketing streets and sidewalks.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for graupel
Cite this Entry
“Graupel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graupel. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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