rain - Wiktionary, the free dictionary


Article Images
Rain falling

From Middle English reyn, rein, from Old English reġn, from Proto-West Germanic *regn, from Proto-Germanic *regną (compare West Frisian rein, Dutch regen, German Regen, Danish and Norwegian regn), of uncertain origin. Possibly from pre-Germanic *Hréǵ-no-, from Proto-Indo-European *Hreǵ- (“to flow”) (compare Latin rigō (“wet, soak”), Lithuanian rõki (“drizzling rain”), Albanian rrjedh (“to flow, drip”)), although the consonant reflexes don't match.

rain (usually uncountable, plural rains)

  2. (meteorology) Condensed water falling from a cloud.

    We've been having a lot of rain lately.

    The rains came late that year.

    • 2019, VOA Learning English (public domain)
      This process involves cloud seeding – when various substances are put into clouds in an attempt to cause rain.
  3. (figuratively) Any matter moving or falling, usually through air, and especially if liquid or otherwise figuratively identifiable with raindrops.
  4. (figuratively) An instance of particles or larger pieces of matter moving or falling through air.

    A rain of mortar fire fell on our trenches.

condensed water from a cloud

any matter falling

an instance of particles falling

Translations to be checked

rain (third-person singular simple present rains, present participle raining, simple past and past participle rained)

  1. (impersonal, meteorology) To have rain fall from the sky.

    Judging by the black cloud, it will rain later today.

  2. (intransitive, figuratively) To fall as or like rain.

    Tears rained from her eyes.

    Leaves rained from the tree.

    Bombs rained from the sky.

  3. (transitive, figuratively) To issue (something) in large quantities.

    The boxer rained punches on his opponent's head.

of rain: to fall from the sky

to fall in large quantities

to issue in large quantities

Translations to be checked

rain (third-person singular simple present rains, present participle raining, simple past and past participle rained)

  1. Obsolete form of reign.

From Middle French rain, from Old Dutch *rain, from Proto-West Germanic *rain (“raised land, baulk, ridge”), from Proto-Germanic *rainaz, *rainō (“baulk, ridge”). Cognate with Dutch reen, rein, German Rain, English rean.

rain m (plural rains)

  1. (geography) a raised border on a field or forest that serves as a boundary

rain

  1. Rōmaji transcription of ライン

rain

  1. waves in the open sea

rain

  1. Alternative form of reyn (“rain”)

rain

  1. water
  • Terry Crowley, Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics (2010, →ISBN, page 333
  • Stephen Adolphe Wurm, New Guinea Area Languages and Language Study (1976)

rain

  1. water
  • Stephen Adolphe Wurm, New Guinea Area Languages and Language Study (1976)
  • John Nystrom, Sissano Organised Phonology Data (1992) (as rayn several times in a story; compare ranrayn "wet")

From the Tetum noun rai.

rain

  1. country