rein

rein · noun, verb¹

1. Latin · derived fromretineō“hold back”
2. Early Medieval Latin · derived fromretina
3. Anglo-Norman · derived fromreyne, resne
4. Middle English · inherited fromrein
5. English todayrein

From Middle English rein, reyne, from Anglo-Norman reyne, resne, from Early Medieval Latin retina, ultimately from Classical Latin retineō (“hold back”), from re- + teneō (“keep, hold”). Compare modern French rêne. Displaced native Old English brīdel (“bridle, rein”), Old English wealdleþer, ġewealdleþer (“rein, bridle”, literally “control strap”), Old English sāl (“cord, rein”), Old English tiġel (“rein”), and Old English lāttēh, lāttēh (“leash, rein”).

rein · noun²

1. Latin · derived fromrēnēs
2. Middle French · derived fromreins
3. English todayrein

From Anglo-Norman reines, Middle French reins, and their source, Latin rēnēs. Doublet of ren.

Rein · proper noun³

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*raginą
2. German · borrowed fromRein
3. English todayRein

* As a German surname, borrowed from German Rein, comparable to the first element of several surnames such as Reinhardt, Reinbold, etc., from Proto-Germanic *raginą. * As an English surname, variant of Rain. Possibly also a habitational surname related to Rhine.

Words from the same roots