What's in Snape'sname?

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 148138

Deborah wrote:
> I've been skipping a lot of Snape postings lately. Not that I don't
> enjoy him greatly as a character ... but there's been too much chewing
> over too many old bones to hold my interest. Sorry, but there it is.

>Why, of all things, call the lad Snivellus? 

Potioncat:
There's nothing new under the sun, this is another "old bone." If you 
want to see some real bone cracking conversation, you should look 
waaaay back to some snivelling discussions between Valky, Carol and 
myself, (and a few others). It was dictionaries at 10 paces! 

The two main views have already shown up in replies to your question, 
but that doesn't stop me from explaining them:

One was that Severus, in violation of the schoolyard rule, ran crying 
to teachers with complaints about the Marauders. This would be 
the "snivelling coward" view. We do have Sirius's statement that Snape 
was always trying to get them in trouble so he may have tattled quite a 
bit. 

The other view is that at some time for some unknown reason, the 
Marauders either made him cry or found him crying and stuck him with 
the name Snivelus. JKR has used the word snivelling in the sense of 
crying in SS/PS. Dudley is described as snivelling in the back seat 
when Vernon rushed everyone into the the car and drove like a maniac.

So, until we find out for sure, if we ever do, you can take your pick.