Meanings
- humorousuncountableA notional burn on the skin caused by excess exposure to heavy rain.
I have seen sunburn/windburn and 'rainburn' affect horses over the years but this did not fit any of those causes […]
2002 May 31, old dobbin, “wild garlic overdose? (long)”, in uk.rec.equestrian (Usenet)2 more examples
It started with neck and upper body sores that looked a bit like rainburn - but usually they had only two or three of them.
1991 June 13, Mark Grundy, “Plot Seeds/Story: Undead of Purditory”, in rec.games.frp (Usenet)He peered out, glancing at the sky. 'We'd better get under cover before it starts raining,' he said, breathing heavily. 'We don't want to get rainburn.'
2005, Martin Sketchley, Affinity Trap
Origin
From rain + burn, by analogy with sunburn.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
rainburn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rainburn
“rainburn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rainburn. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rainburn,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rainburn.
Source: rainburn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.