rain

See also: Rain, ràin, and räin

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English reyn, rein, from Old English rēn, reġn (“rain”), from Proto-Germanic *regnaz (“rain”) (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.

Pronunciation
  • enPR: rān, IPA(key): /ɹeɪn/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Audio (UK)(file)
  • Audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪn
  • Homophones: reign, rein

Noun

rain (usually uncountable, plural rains)

  1. 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.
      Audio (US)(file)
  2. (figuratively) Any matter moving or falling, usually through air, and especially if liquid or otherwise figuratively identifiable with raindrops.
  3. (figuratively) An instance of particles or larger pieces of matter moving or falling through air.
    A rain of mortar fire fell on our trenches.

Usage notes

Alternative forms

Synonyms

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun rain

Descendants

Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

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

  1. (impersonal) To have rain fall from the sky.
    It will rain today.
  2. (intransitive) To fall as or like rain.
    It will rain fire and brimstone at the end of days.
    • Shakespeare
      The rain it raineth every day.
    Tears rained from her eyes.
    Leaves rained from the tree.
    Bombs rained from the sky.
  3. (transitive) To issue (something) in large quantities.
    The boxer rained punches on his opponent's head.
  4. (obsolete) To reign.
    • Edmund Spenser, Faerie Queene, Book I, canto V.
      Such wondrous science in mans witt to rain.

Derived terms
Terms derived from the verb to rain

Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also

Anagrams

Japanese

Romanization

rain

  1. Rōmaji transcription of ライン

Kavalan

Noun

rain

  1. waves in the open sea

Sera

Noun

rain

  1. water

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

Sissano

Noun

rain

  1. water

References
  • 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")
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