# rain

Pronunciation: say "RAYN" /ɹeɪn/

## Noun

1. Condensed water that falls from clouds as drops.
   - Simple: Water that falls from clouds in drops.
   - _The rain fell steadily through the night, soaking the fields._
   - _Farmers welcomed the rain after weeks of dry weather._
4. Falling matter that moves through the air, especially when it comes down thickly like drops of rain.
   - Simple: A large amount of small things falling through the air together.
   - _A fine rain of ash drifted down over the village._
   - _The fireworks ended in a glittering rain of golden sparks._

## Verb

2. For water to fall from the sky as drops, as part of the weather.
   - Simple: For water to fall from clouds in drops.
   - _The forecast says it will rain on and off all weekend, so we moved the picnic indoors._
   - _It rained for three days without stopping._
3. To fall, or send something down, in large amounts like rain, as in 'sparks rained down' or 'rained blows on him.'
   - Simple: To fall, or to send things down, in large numbers like rain.
   - _Sparks rained down as the welder cut through the beam._
   - _Petals rain onto the path whenever the wind shakes the trees._

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 4** — 'Rain' comes from Middle English 'reyn', from Old English 'reġn', going back through Proto-West Germanic '*regn' to Proto-Germanic '*regną', which is of uncertain origin. It may possibly go back to a Proto-Indo-European root '*Hreǵ-' ('to flow'), though the consonants don't quite match. It is related to Dutch 'regen', German 'Regen', and the Scandinavian 'regn'.
**Meanings 2–3** — Proto-Germanic '*regnōną', formed from '*regną' ('rain'), passed through Proto-West Germanic '*regnōn' to Old English 'reġnian' and Middle English 'reinen', the source of the verb. Dutch 'regenen', German 'regnen', and Swedish 'regna' are related.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/rain (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).