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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).
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Freezing rain turns to ice on contact, sleet falls as hard ice pellets, and graupel looks like soft Styrofoam-like balls.
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Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 24 Jan. 2026
Some areas could see brief graupel or small hail in the higher terrain.
—Brandi D. Addison, AZCentral.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Terms like graupel, rime ice, and hoar frost describe specific ways ice and frost form on surfaces and in the air.
—Brandi D. Addison, IndyStar, 4 Dec. 2025
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
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Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 24 Jan. 2026
Some areas could see brief graupel or small hail in the higher terrain.
—Brandi D. Addison, AZCentral.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Terms like graupel, rime ice, and hoar frost describe specific ways ice and frost form on surfaces and in the air.
—Brandi D. Addison, IndyStar, 4 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for graupel
Cite this Entry
“Graupel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graupel. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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