drain
Noun · VerbOpen English WordNet
Verb (4)drains, drained, draining
- flow off gradually“The rain water drains into this big vat”Synonyms: run outMore general run, flow
- deplete of resources“The exercise class drains me of energy”More general consume, eat up
- empty of liquid; drain the liquid from“We drained the oil tank”More general empty
- make weak“Life in the camp drained him”Synonyms: enfeebledebilitateMore general weakenMore specific waste, emaciate
Noun (4)drains
- emptying something accomplished by allowing liquid to run out of itSynonyms: drainageType of emptying, voidance
- tube inserted into a body cavity (as during surgery) to remove unwanted materialType of tube, tubing
- a pipe through which liquid is carried awaySynonyms: drainpipewaste pipeType of pipe, pipageKinds sewer, trap, culvert, scupper, soil pipe
- a gradual depletion of energy or resources“a drain on resources”“a drain of young talent by emigration”Type of depletionKinds brain drain, drawing
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Noun conduit for liquids
Verb dry out a wet place
- Italian
- drenare
- Portuguese
- drenar
- Russian
- осуша́ть osušátʹ
- Chinese
- 排水 páishuǐ
- Dutch
- ontwateren
- Polish
- osuszyć
- Swedish
- dränera
- Greek
- αποστραγγίζω apostrangízo
- Portuguese (PT)
- drenar
- Danish
- dræne
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: AS. drehnigean to drain, strain; perh. akin to E. draw.
1. To draw off by degrees; to cause to flow gradually out or off; hence, to cause the exhaustion of.
Fountains drain the water from the ground adjacent.— Francis, Baron Verulam Bacon
But it was not alone that the he drained their treasure and hampered their industry.— John Lothrop Motley
2. To exhaust of liquid contents by drawing them off; to make gradually dry or empty; to remove surface water, as from streets, by gutters, etc.; to deprive of moisture; hence, to exhaust; to empty of wealth, resources, or the like; as, to drain a country of its specie.
Sinking waters, the firm land to drain, Filled the capacious deep and formed the main.— Wentworth Dillon, Lord Roscommon
3. To filter.
Salt water, drained through twenty vessels of earth, hath become fresh.— Francis, Baron Verulam Bacon
1. To flow gradually; as, the water of low ground drains off.
2. To become emptied of liquor by flowing or dropping; as, let the vessel stand and drain.
1. The act of draining, or of drawing off; gradual and continuous outflow or withdrawal; as, the drain of specie from a country; the project is a drain on resources.
2. That means of which anything is drained; a channel; a trench; a water course; a sewer; a sink.
3. pl. The grain from the mashing tub; as, brewers' drains. British James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps
Box drain, Counter drain. See under Box, Counter. — Right of drain Law, an easement or servitude by which one man has a right to convey water in pipes through or over the estate of another. James Kent
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54
Free On-line Dictionary of Computing
<jargon> (IBM) To allow a system to complete the processing of its current work before the system becomes unavailable. E.g. draining a device before taking it off-line or telling a web server in a server farm not to accept any new requests but to finish processing any requests it has already accepted. [Jargon File]
(2005-07-18)
The Jargon File
[IBM] Syn. for flush (sense 2). Has a connotation of finality about it; one speaks of draining a device before taking it offline.