English Explanatory Dictionary

rain

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Condensed water falling from a cloud.
  2. Any matter moving or falling, usually through air, and especially if liquid or otherwise figuratively identifiable with raindrops.
  3. An instance of particles or larger pieces of matter moving or falling through air.
verb
  1. To have rain fall from the sky.
  2. To fall as or like rain.
  3. To issue (something) in large quantities.
verb
  1. Obsolete form of reign.
name
  1. A female given name.

Pronunciation

/ˈɹeɪn/ En-uk-rain.ogg LL-Q1860 (eng)-Back ache-rain.wav en-us-rain.ogg /ˈɹæɪn/ /ˈɾen/ /ˈɾei̯n/

Word forms

rain rains rayne raygne raining rained no-table-tags glossary rainest rainedst raineth

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *Hréǵʰ-der. Proto-Indo-European *Hréǵʰnos? Proto-Germanic *regną Proto-West Germanic *regn Old English reġn Middle English reyn English rain Inherited from Middle English reyn, rein, from Old English reġn, from Proto-West Germanic *regn, from Proto-Germanic *regną, of uncertain origin. Possibly from pre-Germanic *Hréǵ-no-, from Proto-Indo-European *Hreǵ- (“to flow”), although the consonant reflexes don't match. Cognates Cognate with Yola rhyne, ryne (“rain”), North Frisian Riin, rin (“rain”), Saterland Frisian Rien (“rain”), West Frisian rein (“rain”), Dutch regen (“rain”), Limburgish raenger, Rään (“rain”), German Low German Regen, Ręgen, Rägen (“rain”), Luxembourgish Reen (“rain”), German Regen (“rain”), Mòcheno reng (“rain”), Vilamovian raan (“rain”), Alemannic German regu, räge, rägä (“rain”), Bavarian Regn, rein (“rain”), Cimbrian regan, réego, reng (“rain”), Yiddish רעגן (regn, “rain”), Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish regn (“rain”), Crimean Gothic reghen (“rain”), Gothic 𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌽 (rign, “rain”).

Related words

drizzle hail mizzle precipitation serein shower sleet snow storm

Derived words

Also see terms derived from the verb acid rain black rain blood rain cold rain process come rain or shine come rain or snow coronal rain derain driving rain first rain freezing rain golden rain golden rain tree methane rain oil rain lamp plum rain plum rains pour with rain rainband rain-barrel rain barrel rain beetle rainberry rainbird rain bomb rainboot rainbound rainbow rainburn rainburst rain butt raincape rain chamber raincheck rain check rain cheque rainclothes rain cloud raincloud raincoat rain-coat rain collar Raincouver raincover rain crow rain dance raindate rain day rain delay rain doctor raindrift raindrop rainer rainfall rainfast rainfed rainflow rainforest rain forest
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