drain

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Contents

English [edit]

Storm drain.

Pronunciation [edit]

Etymology [edit]

Middle English dreinen (verb) from Old English drēahnian (“to drain, strain, filter”), from Proto-Germanic *draug- (“dry”), akin to Old English drūgian (“to dry up”), drūgaþ (“dryness, drought”), Old English drȳge (“dry”). More at dry

Noun [edit]

drain (plural drains)

  1. A conduit allowing liquid to flow out of an otherwise contained volume.
    • 2013 March 1, Frank Fish, George Lauder, “Not Just Going with the Flow”, 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.
    The drain in the kitchen sink is clogged.
  2. Something consuming resources and providing nothing in return.
    That rental property is a drain on our finances.
  3. (vulgar) An act of urination.
  4. (electronics) The name of one terminal of a field effect transistor (FET).

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

A conduit for liquids
Something consuming resources with no gains
act of urination
(electronics) name of one terminal of a transistor
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 Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb [edit]

drain (third-person singular simple present drains, present participle draining, simple past and past participle drained)

  1. (intransitive) To lose liquid.
    The clogged sink drained slowly.
  2. (transitive, ergative) To cause liquid to flow out of.
    Please drain the sink. It's full of dirty water.
  3. (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.
  4. (transitive) To deplete of energy or resources.
    The stress of this job is really draining me.
  5. (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.

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

To lose liquid
Cause liquid to flow out of
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 Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Anagrams [edit]

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