“drains” is a form of
drain
/dɹiːn/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms drains draining drained drein dreen
- noun (chiefly US, Canada) A conduit allowing liquid to flow out of an otherwise contained volume; a plughole (UK) “The drain in the kitchen sink is clogged.”
- noun (chiefly UK) An access point or conduit for rainwater that drains directly downstream in a (drainage) basin without going through sewers or water treatment in order to prevent or belay floods.
- noun A natural or artificial watercourse which drains a tract of land. “;;Saganing Drain, Vermuyden's Drain, the South Drain river, Najafgarh drain”
- noun Something consuming resources and providing nothing in return. “That rental property is a drain on our finances.”
- noun (vulgar) An act of urination.
- noun (electronics) One terminal of a field effect transistor (FET).
- noun (pinball) An outhole.
- noun (UK, slang, dated) A drink.
- verb (intransitive) To lose liquid. “The clogged sink drained slowly.”
- verb (intransitive) To flow gradually. “The water of low ground drains off.”
- verb (transitive, ergative) To cause liquid to flow out of. “Please drain the sink. It’s full of dirty water.”
- verb (transitive, ergative) To convert a perennially wet place into a dry one. “They had to drain the swampy land before the parking lot could be built.”
- verb (transitive) To deplete of energy or resources. “The stress of this job is really draining me.”
- verb (transitive) To draw off by degrees; to cause to flow gradually out or off; hence, to exhaust.
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To filter.
- verb (intransitive, pinball) To fall off the bottom of the playfield.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun A city in Douglas County, Oregon, United States.
Synonyms
bleed drainage drainpipe waste pipe run out enfeeble debilitate
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English *dreinen, from Old English drēahnian, from Proto-West Germanic *drauhnōn, from Proto-Germanic *drauhnōną, from *draugiz, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ-, from *dʰer-. Akin to Old English drūgian (“to dry up”), Old English drūgaþ (“dryness, drought”), Old English drȳġe (“dry”). More at dry.
* As an Irish surname, from Ó Dreáin (“descendant of Dreán”), probably from dreán (“wren, songbird”) (see Welsh dryw (“wren”)).
* Also as an Irish surname, from Ó Druacháin; see Drohan.
* As an English surname, occupational surname related to the noun drain.
* Also as an English surname, spelling variant of Drane.
* As a French surname, reduced from Derain, from Old French dererain (“the last”), nickname for the youngest son of a family; see derrière (“behind”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To draw off by degrees; to cause to flow gradually out or off; hence, to cause the exhaustion of. Fountains drain the water from the ground adjacent. Bacon.
- verb To exhaust of liquid contents by drawing them off; to make gradually dry or empty; to remove surface water, as from streets, by gutters, etc.; to deprive of moisture; hence, to exhaust; to empty of wealth, resources, or the like; as, to drain a country of its specie.
- verb To flow gradually; as, the water of low ground drains off.
- verb To become emptied of liquor by flowing or dropping; as, let the vessel stand and drain.
Etymology [AS. drehnigean to drain, strain; perh. akin to E. draw.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “drain”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details