Other Words For Rain with Word History

We all know about April Showers and May Flowers, so lets talk about words for rain, since in the next few weeks we will see a lot of it.

It's easy to use the word wet, or storm, or shower. That is clear and effective, but a little lazy. Let's try finding a word that is clear, effective, and more creative.

A sudden, heavy downpour can be called a Cloudburst

A Squall blows in with a burst of wind, briefly storms, then blows out again

A Stream falls strong and steady for a long while, then tapers off.

A Spate is a great flow of water, like a Deluge or Downpour

It's not just a Downpour, it's a Torrential Downpour!

Monsoon rains Flash Fall seasonally, causing necessary Floods

When the drops are small and light, it's called a Sprinkle

When there is both Mist and Drizzle, its called a Mizzle!

Sometimes it feels like the rain is Spitting, a Kenner might call it sky-spit

As the rain falls, what does it sound like? Splish, Splash, Splat,

Is it falling Straight Down?, to the Left?, or to the Right? Hard?

I value Spring Showers, especially when its Soft and Warm, but I hate Hail!

Now I'm off to bed, and there's nothing like the sounds of a thunderstorm at night

Is it Hammering?, Lashing?, Bashing?, Battering?, Biting?, Pelting?,

Is it Thrumming? Drumming? Dripping? Whipping? Wailing?

Anything caught up in it gets Drenched, Saturated, Sodden, and Soaked

How do you dry Waterlogged shoes or furniture before it's damaged?

There are more of course, but I'm done for now.

p.s

A Kenner is one who Kens (knows) and Kenning (knowing) is wordplay, oral stories were told over and over and over, and it could get repetitive. So story-tellers got creative, for example, swords became hungry-steel, blood-bringers, etc...

Grammar and Glammour are both rooted in the same word, and both words relate to knowledge and magic, and especially the ability to read and write, which was thought to be a skill on par with magic. So, to know (Ken) words and know (Ken) magic were complimentary accomplishments. .

Word History

The Old Englisc word for rain was regn,

from the Proto-Germanic word regna,

the root of the German word regen.

The word reign, meaning to rule, looks like they are related, but aren't.

It comes from the Latin word regnum,

to the Old French word reigne,

to Middle Englisc word reign.

Rein, as in hold back or restrain, also looks like it should be related, but it isn't either.

It's from 13th century Anglo-French word resne,

and became the Middle English word reine.