drain

Etymology

From 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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɹeɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪn

Noun

drain (plural drains)

1. A conduit allowing liquid to flow out of an otherwise contained volume.

   (chiefly US, Canada)

   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.

2. (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.
3. Something consuming resources and providing nothing in return.

   That rental property is a drain on our finances.

4. (vulgar) An act of urination.
5. (electronics) The name of one terminal of a field effect transistor (FET).
6. (pinball) An outhole.

Verb

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. (intransitive) To flow gradually.

   The water of low ground drains off.

3. (transitive, ergative) To cause liquid to flow out of.

   Please drain the sink. It's full of dirty water.

4. (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.

5. (transitive) To deplete of energy or resources.

   The stress of this job is really draining me.

6. (transitive) To draw off by degrees; to cause to flow gradually out or off; hence, to exhaust.
   • Francis Bacon

     Fountains drain the water from the ground adjacent.

   • Motley

     But it was not alone that he drained their treasure and hampered their industry.

7. (transitive, obsolete) To filter.
   • Francis Bacon

     Salt water, drained through twenty vessels of earth, hath become fresh.

8. (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.

Anagrams

• Darin, Drina, Indra, Nadir, Nardi, Ndari, Radin, dinar, nadir, ranid