rain
See also: Rain, ràin, and räin
English
Pronunciation
- enPR: rān, IPA(key): /ɹeɪn/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (UK) (file) Audio (file) - Rhymes: -eɪn
- Homophones: reign, rein
Etymology 1
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.
Alternative forms
- rayne, raygne (obsolete)
Noun
rain (usually uncountable, plural rains)
- 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)
- This process involves cloud seeding – when various substances are put into clouds in an attempt to cause rain.
- (figuratively) Any matter moving or falling, usually through air, and especially if liquid or otherwise figuratively identifiable with raindrops.
- (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
- shower, downpour, drop are some of the words used to count rain.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:hydrometeor
Derived terms
- Also see terms derived from the verb
- rainband
- rain barrel
- rainberry
- rainbird
- rain bomb
- rainboot
- rainbow
- rain check, raincheck, rain cheque
- rain cloud
- raincoat
- rain collar
- rain crow
- rain dance
- rain day
- rain delay
- raindrop
- rainfall
- rainforest
- rain frog
- rain garden
- rain gauge
- rain hat
- rainish
- rainjacket
- rain lamp
- rainmaker
- rain man
- rain or shine
- rainproof
- rain shadow
- rain-slickened
- rainsoaked, rain-soaked
- rainstorm
- rain tree
- rainwash
- rainwater
- rainwear
- rainy
Descendants
- Sranan Tongo: alen
Translations
condensed water from a cloud
|
any matter falling
|
an instance of particles falling
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. 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)
- (impersonal) To have rain fall from the sky.
- Judging by the black cloud, it will rain later today.
- (intransitive) To fall as or like rain.
- It will rain fire and brimstone at the end of days.
- c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or VVhat You VVill”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene i]:
- The rain it raineth every day.
- Tears rained from her eyes.
- Leaves rained from the tree.
- Bombs rained from the sky.
- (transitive) To issue (something) in large quantities.
- The boxer rained punches on his opponent's head.
Conjugation
Conjugation of rain
| infinitive | (to) rain | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| present tense | past tense | ||
| 1st-person singular | rain | rained | |
| 2nd-person singular | rain, rainest† | rained, rainedst† | |
| 3rd-person singular | rains, raineth† | rained | |
| plural | rain | ||
| subjunctive | rain | rained | |
| imperative | rain | — | |
| participles | raining | rained | |
†Archaic or obsolete.
Derived terms
- Also see terms derived from the noun
- berain
- it never rains but it pours
- rain cats and dogs, rain dogs and cats
- rain down
- rain fire and brimstone
- rain off
- rain pitchforks
Translations
of rain: to fall from the sky
|
to fall in large quantities
|
to issue in large quantities
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
|
See also
- drizzle
- hail
- mizzle
- precipitation
- serein
- shower
- sleet
- snow
- storm
- Wikipedia article on rain
Verb
rain (third-person singular simple present rains, present participle raining, simple past and past participle rained)
- Obsolete form of reign.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938:
- Such wondrous science in mans witt to rain.
-
Anagrams
- ARIN, Arin, Iran, Irân, Irān, NIRA, Nair, RNAi, Rani, Rian, Rina, arni, rani
Japanese
Romanization
rain
- Rōmaji transcription of ライン
Kavalan
Noun
rain
- waves in the open sea
Sera
Noun
rain
- 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
- 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")
Tetum
Etymology
From the Tetum noun rai.
Noun
rain
- country