*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of rainy

From Middle English reyny, from Old English reġniġ, from Proto-West Germanic *regnag, from Proto-Germanic *regnagaz (“rainy”), equivalent to rain + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian rienig (“rainy”), West Frisian reinic

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Pouring with rain; wet; showery

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English reyny, from Old English reġniġ, from Proto-West Germanic *regnag, from Proto-Germanic *regnagaz (“rainy”), equivalent to rain + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian rienig (“rainy”), West Frisian reinich (“rainy”), Dutch regenig (“rainy”), German regnig (“rainy”), Swedish regnig (“rainy”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionreynyenm
  • Inherited-form mentionreġniġang
  • Inherited-form mention*regnaggmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*regnagazgem-pro · rainy
  • Cognate mentionrienigstq · rainy
  • Cognate mentionreinichfy · rainy
  • Cognate mentionregenignl · rainy
  • Cognate mentionregnigde · rainy
  • Cognate mentionregnigsv · rainy
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "reyny"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English reyny"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "reġniġ"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English reġniġ"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*regnag"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *regnag"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*regnagaz",
        "t": "rainy"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *regnagaz (“rainy”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "suf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "rain",
        "3": "y",
        "id2": "adjectival"
      },
      "expansion": "rain + -y"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "rienig",
        "t": "rainy"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian rienig (“rainy”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "reinich",
        "t": "rainy"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian reinich (“rainy”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "regenig",
        "t": "rainy"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch regenig (“rainy”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "regnig",
        "t": "rainy"
      },
      "expansion": "German regnig (“rainy”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "regnig",
        "t": "rainy"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish regnig (“rainy”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "reyny",
      "reyny#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "reġniġ",
      "regnig#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*regnag",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/regnag"
    ],
    [
      "*regnagaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/regnagaz"
    ],
    [
      "rain",
      "rain#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ],
    [
      "rienig",
      "rienig#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "reinich",
      "reinich#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "regenig",
      "regenig#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "regnig",
      "regnig#German"
    ],
    [
      "regnig",
      "regnig#Swedish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Pouring with rain; wet; showery"
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "1298928a07bf3440d28a4ce3ad5f1d2f856dd74c7babc3fc7dcddaadfed772b3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "31463282112ef288d600b6183a340b074cd9da61fc07eec2fb4bae4f178a0f34",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 238790
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for rainy →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cmFpbnk