rain
Water falling in drops from clouds in the sky.
Etymology
From Old English regn, from Proto-Germanic *regnaz. The PIE origin is often reconstructed as *h₁reg- "to wet, to rain," though the reconstruction is not certain. The word is largely confined to the Germanic and Italic branches. Latin rigāre "to wet, irrigate" is a possible cognate.
The Journey: *h₁reg- → rain
*Hreg-
*regnaz
regn
rain
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *h₁reg-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Latin | rigāre (to wet) |
| Gothic | rign |
| Old Norse | regn |
| Old Frisian | rein |
| Old High German | regan |
Did You Know?
Latin rigāre "to wet, irrigate" is a cognate, giving English "irrigate." The spelling "rain" with ai replaced the older e in Middle English, influenced by Old French patterns.
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁reg-. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.