rain
/ɹeɪn/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms rains raining rained rainest rainedst raineth rayne raygne
- noun (meteorology) Condensed water falling from a cloud. “We've been having a lot of rain lately.”
- noun (figuratively) Any matter moving or falling, usually through air, and especially if liquid or otherwise figuratively identifiable with raindrops.
- noun (figuratively) An instance of particles or larger pieces of matter moving or falling through air. “A rain of mortar fire fell on our trenches.”
- verb (impersonal, meteorology) To have rain fall from the sky. “Judging by the black cloud, it will rain later today.”
- verb (intransitive, figuratively) To fall as or like rain. “Tears rained from her eyes.”
- verb (transitive, figuratively) To issue (something) in large quantities. “The boxer rained punches on his opponent's head.”
- proper noun A female given name.
Synonyms
Etymology
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.
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”).
From Middle English reinen, from Old English reġnian, from Proto-West Germanic *regnōn, from Proto-Germanic *regnōną, from *regną (“rain”), as above.
Cognate with Cimbrian règhenan, rengen (“to rain”), Dutch regenen (“to rain”), German regnen (“to rain”), Limburgish raengere, rääne (“to rain”), Low German regen (“to rain”), Luxembourgish reenen (“to rain”), Yiddish רעגענען (regenen, “to rain”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål regne (“to rain”), Faroese, Swedish regna (“to rain”), Icelandic rigna (“to rain”), Norwegian Nynorsk regna, regne (“to rain”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Reign. [Obs.] Spenser.
- noun Water falling in drops from the clouds; the descent of water from the clouds in drops.
- verb To fall in drops from the clouds, as water; used mostly with it for a nominative; as, it rains.
- verb To fall or drop like water from the clouds; as, tears rained from their eyes.
Etymology [OF. rein, AS. regen; akin to OFries. rein, D. & G. regen, OS. & OHG. regan, Icel., Dan., & Sw. regn, Goth. rign, and prob. to L. rigare to water, to wet; cf. Gr. Defn: Water falling in drops from the clouds; the descent of water from the clouds in drops. Rain is water by the heat of the sun divided into very small parts ascending in the air, till, encountering the cold, it be condensed into clouds, and descends in drops. Ray. Fair days have oft contracted wind and rain. Milton. Note: Rain is distinguished from mist by the size of the drops, which are distinctly visible. When water falls in very small drops or particles, it is called mist; and fog is composed of particles so fine as to be not only individually indistinguishable, but to float or be suspended in the air. See Fog, and Mist. Rain band (Meteorol.), a dark band in the yellow portion of the solar spectrum near the sodium line, caused by the presence of watery vapor in the atmosphere, and hence sometimes used in weather predictions. -- Rain bird (Zoöl.), the yaffle, or green woodpecker. [Prov. Eng.]
Etymology [AS. regnian, akin to G. regnen, Goth. rignjan. See Rain, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “rain”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details