drain
See also: Drain
English

Storm drain.
Etymology
From Middle English dreinen, from Old English drēahnian (“to drain, strain, filter”), from Proto-Germanic *drauhnōną (“to strain, sieve”), from Proto-Germanic *draugiz (“dry, parched”). Akin to Old English drūgian (“to dry up”), Old English drūgaþ (“dryness, drought”), Old English drȳġe (“dry”). More at dry.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dɹeɪn/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (file) - Rhymes: -eɪn
Noun
drain (plural drains)
- (chiefly US, Canada) A conduit allowing liquid to flow out of an otherwise contained volume; a plughole (UK)
- The drain in the kitchen sink is clogged.
- 2013 March 1, Frank Fish, George Lauder, “Not Just Going with the Flow”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, page 114:
- An extreme version of vorticity is a vortex. The vortex is a spinning, cyclonic mass of fluid, which can be observed in the rotation of water going down a drain, as well as in smoke rings, tornados and hurricanes.
- (chiefly Britain) An access point or conduit for rainwater that drains directly downstream in a (drainage) basin without going through sewers or water treatment in order to prevent or belay floods.
- Something consuming resources and providing nothing in return.
- That rental property is a drain on our finances.
- (vulgar) An act of urination.
- (electronics) One terminal of a field effect transistor (FET).
- (pinball) An outhole.
- (slang, dated) A drink.
Derived terms
- drainpipe/drain pipe
- drainplug/drain plug
- brain drain
- circle the drain
- down the drain
- drainboard
- Drainbow
- drain fly
- drainless
- drainlike
- drainmaker
- draino
- drain pan
- drain pump
- draintile
- draintrap
- drainwork
- French drain
- laugh like a drain
- like a rat up a drain
- Penrose drain
- rubble drain
- spray drain
- storm drain
- top-drain
- well drain
Translations
conduit for liquids
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conduit for rainwater
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something consuming resources with no gains
vulgar: act of urination
Verb
drain (third-person singular simple present drains, present participle draining, simple past and past participle drained)
- (intransitive) To lose liquid.
- The clogged sink drained slowly.
- Knock knock.
Who's there?
Dwayne.
Dwayne who?
Drain the bathtub, I'm drowning.
- (intransitive) To flow gradually.
- The water of low ground drains off.
- (transitive, ergative) To cause liquid to flow out of.
- Please drain the sink. It's full of dirty water.
- (transitive, ergative) To convert a perennially wet place into a dry one.
- They had to drain the swampy land before the parking lot could be built.
- (transitive) To deplete of energy or resources.
- The stress of this job is really draining me.
- (transitive) To draw off by degrees; to cause to flow gradually out or off; hence, to exhaust.
- (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon?)
- Fountains drain the water from the ground adjacent.
- (Can we date this quote by Motley?)
- But it was not alone that he drained their treasure and hampered their industry.
- (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon?)
- (transitive, obsolete) To filter.
- (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon?)
- Salt water, drained through twenty vessels of earth, hath become fresh.
- (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon?)
- (intransitive, pinball) To fall off the bottom of the playfield.
- 1990, Steven A. Schwartz, Compute's Nintendo Secrets
- When a ball finally drains, it's gulped down by a giant gator beneath the set of flippers.
- 1990, Steven A. Schwartz, Compute's Nintendo Secrets
Derived terms
- drainable
- drainage
- drain away
- draining (adjective)
- drain out
- drain the lizard (vulgar)
- drain the main vain
Translations
to lose liquid
cause liquid to flow out of
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dry out a wet place
deplete of energy
(pinball) to fall off the bottom of the playfield
- 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
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Cimbrian
Numeral
drain
- dative of drai
- Bar zèinan in drain.
- There are three of us.
- (literally, “We are in three.”)
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