Meanings
rainwater1
plural rainwaters · alternative rain water
- uncountableusuallyRainfall.
In early December, as rainwaters had started the monthlong process of flooding mines and washing out rail lines, workers lined up before 1 p.m. at an easy-to-miss storefront depot in Mackay.
2011 December 1, Joel Kirkland, “Australia's Record Rains Squeeze World Coal Supplies as Scientists Study Climate Pattern”, in The New York Times - uncountableusuallyWater (for a house, etc.) sourced from rain which has not joined a spring, stream or river, pond, lake or sea.
Constructed of hard flint stone, which came as ballast from England and is now painted coral white, the house has a fishpond, or catchment, roof, dating from 1788, to collect rainwater.
1987 January 18, Paula Deitz, “ISLAND LIVING, ENGLISH STYLE”, in The New York Times
Rainwater2
Synonyms & antonyms
noundrops of fresh water that fall as precipitation from clouds
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishreġnwæter
- Middle Englishreinwater
- Englishrainwater
From Middle English reinwater, from Old English reġnwæter, equivalent to rain + water. Cognate with West Frisian reinwetter, Dutch regenwater, German Regenwasser, Swedish regnvatten.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مِيَاه اَلْأَمْطَار
- مِيَاه اَلْأَمْطَار (miyāh al-ʔamṭār)water sourced from rain
Bulgarian дъждовна вода
- дъждовна вода (dăždovna voda)water sourced from rain
Chinese Mandarin 雨水
- 雨水 (yǔshuǐ)water sourced from rain
Czech dešťovka, dešťová voda
- dešťovkawater sourced from rain
- dešťová vodawater sourced from rain
Danish regnvand
- regnvandwater sourced from rain
Dutch regenwater
- regenwaterwater sourced from rain
Finnish sadevesi
- sadevesiwater sourced from rain
French eaux de pluie
- eaux de pluiewater sourced from rain
German Regenwasser
- Regenwasserwater sourced from rain
Hindi वर्षाजल
- वर्षाजल (varṣājal)water sourced from rain
Hungarian esővíz
- esővízwater sourced from rain
Icelandic regnvatn
- regnvatnwater sourced from rain
Indonesian air hujan
- air hujanwater sourced from rain
Italian acqua piovana
- acqua piovanawater sourced from rain
Japanese 雨水, 雨水
- 雨水 (amamizu)water sourced from rain
- 雨水 (usui)water sourced from rain
Korean 빗물, 우수
- 빗물 (binmul)water sourced from rain
- 우수 (usu)water sourced from rain
Māori wai ua
- wai uawater sourced from rain
Norwegian Bokmål regnvann
- regnvannwater sourced from rain
Polish deszczówka
- deszczówkawater sourced from rain
Portuguese água da/de chuva
- água da/de chuvawater sourced from rain
Russian дождева́я вода́
- дождева́я вода́ (doždevája vodá)water sourced from rain
Scottish Gaelic uisge-adhair
- uisge-adhairwater sourced from rain
Slovak dažďovica, dažďová voda
- dažďovicawater sourced from rain
- dažďová vodawater sourced from rain
Spanish agua de lluvia, agua llovediza
- agua de lluviawater sourced from rain
- agua llovedizawater sourced from rain
Swedish regnvatten
- regnvattenwater sourced from rain
Tamil மழைநீர், மழைத்தண்ணீர்
- மழைநீர் (maḻainīr)water sourced from rain
- மழைத்தண்ணீர் (maḻaittaṇṇīr)water sourced from rain
- மேனீர் (mēṉīr)water sourced from rain
Turkish yağmur suyu
- yağmur suyuwater sourced from rain
Ukrainian дощова́ вода́
- дощова́ вода́ (doščová vodá)water sourced from rain
Vietnamese nước mưa
- nước mưawater sourced from rain
Yiddish רעגן־וואַסער
- רעגן־וואַסער (regn-vaser)water sourced from rain
Cite this entry
rainwater. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rainwater
“rainwater.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rainwater. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rainwater,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rainwater.
Source: rainwater on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.