drain

drain
\ \ [OE] The underlying meaning of drain seems to be ‘making dry’. It comes ultimately from *draug-, the same prehistoric Germanic base as produced English drought and dry, and in Old English it meant ‘strain through a cloth or similar porous medium’. There then follows a curious gap in the history of the word: there is no written record of its use between about 1000 AD and the end of the 14th century, and when it reemerged it began to give the first evidence of its main modern meaning ‘draw off a liquid’.
\ \ Cf.DROUGHT, DRY

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • drain — drain …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • drain — [ drɛ̃ ] n. m. • 1849; mot angl., de to drain « dessécher » 1 ♦ Agric. Conduit souterrain, servant à évacuer l eau des sols trop humides. Les drains se jettent dans des collecteurs (⇒ drainage) . ♢ Par ext. Fossé. 2 ♦ (1859) Tube destiné à… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Drain — 〈[drɛın] od. [ drɛ̃:] m. 6〉 1. 〈Med.〉 Gummiröhrchen mit seitl. Öffnungen zur Drainage (GummiDrain) 2. 〈österr., schweiz. Schreibung für〉 Drän [engl., „Abfluss, künstl. Abflusskanal“] * * * I Drain   [dt. »Abfluss«] das, eine der drei Elektroden… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Drain — Drain, n. 1. The act of draining, or of drawing off; gradual and continuous outflow or withdrawal; as, the drain of specie from a country; the project is a drain on resources. [1913 Webster] 2. That means of which anything is drained; a channel;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • drain — index consume, decrease, decrement, deplete, diminish, dissipate (expend foolishly), exhaust (deplete), expen …   Law dictionary

  • drain — drain·age; drain·er; drain·er·man; drain·less; sub·drain; un·drain·able; drain; …   English syllables

  • Drain — (dr[=a]n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Drained} (dr[=a]nd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Draining}.] [AS. drehnigean to drain, strain; perh. akin to E. draw.] 1. To draw off by degrees; to cause to flow gradually out or off; hence, to cause the exhaustion of. [1913 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • drain — ► VERB 1) cause the liquid in (something) to run out. 2) (of liquid) run off or out. 3) become dry as liquid runs off. 4) deprive of strength or resources. 5) drink the entire contents of. ► NOUN 1) a channel or pipe carrying off …   English terms dictionary

  • Drain — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Drain País …   Wikipedia Español

  • Drain — [drɛ̃:] u. Drän der; s, s <über fr. drain aus gleichbed. engl. drain zu to drain »ableiten, abfließen lassen«, eigtl. »austrocknen«>: 1. Röhrchen aus Gummi od. anderem Material mit seitlichen Öffnungen (Med.); vgl. ↑Drainage. 2. svw. ↑Drän …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • Drain — Drain, v. i. 1. To flow gradually; as, the water of low ground drains off. [1913 Webster] 2. To become emptied of liquor by flowing or dropping; as, let the vessel stand and drain. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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