rain
UK[reɪn]US[reɪn]
n
Water that falls in drops from clouds in the sky.
v
When rain falls.
Etymology
The word 'rain' descends directly from the Old English 'regn' or 'rēn', which referred to the same natural event. This Old English term has cognates across other Germanic languages, such as Old High German 'regan' and Old Norse 'regn', all pointing to a common Proto-Germanic ancestor 'regna-'. The ultimate origin is traced to the Proto-Indo-European root 'reg-' meaning 'moist, wet', which also gave rise to the Latin 'rigāre' (to wet, water). The semantic journey is straightforward, maintaining the core concept of falling water from its ancient roots to its modern, specific meteorological meaning.
Analysis
The word is a simplex of Old English origin. The root 'regn-' or 'rēn-' functioned as a noun for the meteorological phenomenon.
Examples
The heavy rain caused flooding on the roads.
It looks like it's going to rain this afternoon.
We need a good rain to water the crops.