The snowdrop’s Latinised name is Galanthus from the Greek roots: gála “milk”, ánthos “flower”. It is a genus of about 20 species of bulbous herbaceous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae, although there are hundreds of varieties as evidenced by a recent visit to Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire to see their more than 240 varieties. Most species flower in winter, just ahead of the vernal equinox (20 or 21 March in the Northern Hemisphere), although some species flower in early spring or even late autumn. I snapped this specimen in the churchyard of All Saints, Rampton, also in Cambridgeshire.
More information on Wikipedia about Galanthus.