First attested in 1674; its etymology is unknown.(Thisetymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium.)
“Well, Mars Tom, my idea is like dis. It ain’t no use, wecan’t kill dem po’ strangers dat ain’t doin’ us no harm, till we’ve had practice — I knows it perfectly well, Mars Tom — ‛deed I knows it perfectly well. But ef we takes a’ ax or two, jist you en me en Huck, en slips acrost de river to-night arter de moon’s gone down, en kills dat sick fam’ly dat’s over on theSny, en burns dey house down, en —”
The wordsnye,sny orsnie has been used for many years to describe a channel behind an island, with slack current or partly dried, or some such similar feature.
