Snice is a portmanteau of snow and ice. It refers to a type of frozen water whose physical characteristics make it an intermediate between snow and ice: snow-ice. [1] The use of snice, due to its strength, has become normative in modern ice construction, in buildings such as the winter ice hotels [2] constructed annually in certain arctic nations, and the elaborate ice palace constructions, where it forms the bonding between ice blocks, somewhat as mortar does between the bricks of a traditional brick-built structure.[ citation needed ] It is referred to as snow-ice because it has a snow-like appearance (white, soft, and melts in the mouth), but ice-like physical characteristics.